Birthmark
Vanity and courage are the point of departure for Siri & Snelle’s choreographic production for Carte Blanche. Thematically, the piece is about failing – a recurring topic for the two – and everything we as people do to succeed. Siri & Snelle are primarily concerned with the place where dance and the personal intersect, where dance defines the person. The duo have often based their work on their own personal and intimate spheres, and they have taken to the barricades to break down cultural divisions and destigmatise shame in social contexts. Since the start, they have insisted on a playful and personal style that shows no respect for genre
conventions. Against a backdrop of humor and self-depreciation, they will pick elements from different dance genres and various talk show concepts. Their scenic language is as much inspired by so-called low culture as by high culture, and perhaps non-culture as well!
Siri Jøntvedt (1968) and Snelle Hall (1969) have worked together since 1991. In several productions, they worked on the ‘Siri & Snelle Show’ concept, which can best be described as a cross between a dance performance and a talk show. Both in these shows and in later work, they have dealt with phenomena such as reality TV, ideals of beauty, the focus on celebrities and the alternative wave. Their most recent major production was Skapet (the Closet) at Dansens Hus in Oslo, in March 2013.