UTLYSNING DANSERE
Ravnedans Performance LAB: “Emerge from within ” with Viktor Frojd
Ravnedans performance LAB is a yearly meeting point between a choreographer, and a bigger group of professional dancers. Four days of artistic research leads to an open showing within the festival program. The LAB usually brings new collaborations, and crisp artistic audience experiences. The LAB is free of cost but we limit the amount of participant. For this year's LAB, Viktor Fröjd will facilitate a LAB focusing on how to connect with your present self and allow shapes and forms to emerge from within, rather than the opposite. The open showing will go in dialogue with the public space, becoming a happening informed by architecture, by-passers, festival audience and open air coincidences.
Where: Kristiansand, Norway during Ravnedans festival
When: 16.-20 July 2026, during daytime
Public showing: 20th July
Price: Free of charge, but limited spaces
Application deadline: 12. May
For: professional dancers from all genres (if in doubt, please reach out)
The lab days will be up to 4 hours long, so that it's possible to take part in the rest of the festival program with morning baths, showings, artist talks and evening performances.
About the LAB:
Emerge from within
My foundation is in the street dance community, and my interest lies in the social aspects of dancing. My inspiration comes from contexts such as jamming, clubbing, battling, and exchanging—all of which involve dancing with people or with people around you.
For the past 13 years, I have created stage works within the contemporary context, using social dancing as both method and material. Through this, a practice has evolved—a method for approaching your own (and others') dance. It is a way to connect with your present self and allow shapes and forms to emerge from within, rather than the opposite.
This work focuses on impulses and navigating within them, which requires listening to yourself, the situation, and others. I often use the word “honest.” We listen for the honest impulse and choose to act on it. This requires trust: tuning in to the present moment by listening, seeing, and sensing with your whole body. It is about allowing all your experiences, technical training, and knowledge to surface from an honest place.
Concepts and constellations unravel from the material, which can then be placed in a scenic context. Each time this method is used, I witness its power. The material that emerges from the dancers is deeply personal and impossible to pre-plan. For Ravnedans, I am very intrigued to see what can be created through this practice with a larger group of dancers from various backgrounds, meeting in a public space.
We will work individually, in pairs, and in groups. We will use improvisation as a starting point, and from that, narrow the focus down to scores, tasks, or set material.
This work benefits dancers who want to delve deep into their practice and who believe in the social aspects of dancing, specifically, the power of the collective to strengthen the individual.
About Viktor Frojd (SE)
Choreographer and dancer Viktor Fröjd, based in Malmö, Sweden, creates and choreographs works for both large and small stages through commissions and his own productions. With a firm belief in dance's potential as a path to a deeper understanding of human existence, his work focuses on themes of honesty, time (and timelessness), and social impact. Grounded in street and club dance, Viktor maintains a constant presence of improvisation, recognizing the social dynamics where everyone in the room—performers and spectators—influences the atmosphere and the resulting art. Viktor describes his approach as centered on the power and potential of dance to evoke individual experiences through joy and community. Viktor Fröjd was educated at the street dance program at Åsa Folk High School outside Katrineholm and holds a bachelor's degree in dance pedagogy with a focus on street dance from STDH - Stockholm University of the Arts.
Viktor has created several acclaimed works. His latest piece is a duet called Tracks (2025), which was selected for Aerowaves Recommends 2026 and has been performed at Skånes Dansteater Malmö and Sofienberg Kirke Oslo, among others. Festen (2021) has completed two Dancenet Sweden tours and was presented at Dansens Hus Stockholm, Norrlandsoperan, Sentralen Oslo, and at Tanzemesse Dusseldorf. Locus (2023) was a commissioned work for the Swedish National Touring Theater and was presented all over Sweden. Tillvaron (2020), a site-specific work commissioned by Scenkonst Sörmland, was presented in a greenhouse, a warehouse, and a farm in the region. As a dancer, he has performed in folk and contemporary dance artist Anna Öberg’s work Landscapes (2025), presented at Dansens Hus Stockholm and Rosenhill Teater Trondheim, among other places. The work Solitud (2019), also by Anna Öberg, was a co-production with Dancenet Sweden and has toured all over Sweden. He is currently dancing in Malmö-based dance artist Maria Naidu's work exploring the world of Linedance: Sammankomst (2024) and On, on and on and on (2025).
Who can apply
The LAB is aimed at professional dancers, but other performing artists can also apply. The LAB will also be open to students in professional training, if places are available. The LAB will lead to a work in process showing as part of the festival program. It is therefore expected that LAB participants show some flexibility on the days of rehearsals and sharing. If you feel unsure if you meet the criteria as a professional, please feel very free to reach out to us.
How to apply
To apply, send a short motivation letter together with a brief biography describing your previous education/experience (in total max 1 A4 page) to ravnedans.jeanbaptiste@gmail.com by date April 2023. The application can be written in English or a Scandinavian language. Mark the e-mail Performance lab.
The group that is selected is put together by the LAB leader in collaboration with Ravnedas. You will get an answer about your participation within one week of the deadline.