Hammer

As part of its European tour, the GöteborgsOperans Danskompani presents Hammer at the Théâtre du Châtelet. Given for the very first time in France, Hammer is the third creation devised by the choreographer Alexander Ekman for this Swedish contemporary dance company, under the artistic direction of Katrín Hall. Equally at ease working with the oeuvre of his compatriot Ingmar Bergman as with Alicia Keys, and invited throughout the world by the most prestigious cultural institutions, the Swedish choreographer has, in little more than a decade, established himself as one of the most inventive creators of our time, and was also enrolled as Stage and Choreography Director for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony. From the museum to the opera house, by way of theatre and cinema, Alexander Ekman moves across every register, with as his smallest common denominator a profound wit and a deep humanity.

Hammer was created in 2022, for and by the dancers of the GöteborgsOperans Danskompani. Hailing from twenty different countries, the thirty-one performers bring to life a monumental work, conceived as a two-act fresco that examines, not without humour, the wanderings of contemporary societies. From order to chaos, from the individual to the collective, from the 1960s to the present day, Hammer questions as much the role of technology as that of ideology, through a resolutely humanist lens. Composed by Mikael Karlsson, the music of this ballet blends recorded sounds from the string section of the Gothenburg Opera Orchestra with synthesised tones produced by several keyboards, behind which, at times, are to be found the hands of the choreographer himself.