From Showbox to China

Seven cities, full halls and warm encounters. This summer, Piero Issa and Ole Petter Knarvik toured China with the performance Sans .

– We have had a great trip to China – three intense weeks with full days. The audience welcomed us warmly in all the cities , says Piero Issa.

Seven major cities in three weeks

The tour went to Hangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, Chengdu, Beijing and back to Shanghai. With the theater company Qfun as the tour leader.

– Qfun has bases in several Chinese cities, and where they have regular collaborations, we met both theater students and cultural center managers. They are very professional when it comes to performing arts for children. The audience welcomed us warmly in all the cities, says Ole Petter Knarvik.

Calm in contrast to pace

The duo experienced China as a place with a fast pace and a kind of constant pulse – which put Sans in an interesting light. – Therefore, it felt extra meaningful to show Sans, which represents a counterpart to this and invites calm, listening and wonder. It worked very well for both the children and the adults in the audience, says Piero. – Along the way, we have also developed a Sans workshop, due to great demand. We will continue it in Norway.

International appeal

The tour shows that Sans has great international impact. The performance has already been booked for the Atta Festival in Istanbul in November, and new collaborative projects in China are being planned.

– We are very pleased that the performance has international appeal. Qfun also expressed great enthusiasm for Showbox and plans to come to this year's festival – something we warmly encouraged. We believe that much of the performing arts at Showbox would be very suitable for touring in China , concludes Piero.

Documented on film

Video artist Inga Marie Connelly followed the trip and documented the journey. Some of the videos are now available on the Instagram account Sans Norway .