O Snap

This year's festival kicked off with the dance performance "O Snap" by the Dutch crew Arch8. The three dancers from the crew were to represent a group of friends. Division, exclusion and community are the main elements in this production.

The dance number made the audience aware of the difficulties of being a group of three friends. How some are repeatedly shut out by the others. Here we can see that the two who are together are always the strongest and the one who is outside is constantly trying to be good enough. All three went through the same phases of loneliness, self-confidence and self-doubt. The dance number ended with a strong friendship between the three dancers.

They got the message across in a good way. In our opinion, the dance number was a little long, which meant that there was a lot of repetition and it was a little difficult to follow. Nevertheless, it was entertaining to see how talented the dancers were.

After watching the dance number "O Snap", we were left with some unanswered questions. In a cozy little café in central Oslo, we meet choreographer Erik Kaiel to find out more about the background to the piece. The conversation quickly turns to American hip hop and his experiences.

Why did you call the dance number "O Snap"?
In American youth culture, they use the phrase "O Snap" when good friends make fun of each other. For example, when best friends make fun of each other in a rude way, this is one of many expressions used.

What is the main theme of the play?
It's about feeling excluded. It's also about feeling like you don't belong anywhere. The feeling of not being part of the cool crowd. That's why there are three people, so you can show exclusion and friendship. If it had been just two people, you couldn't have shown it in as good a way. I chose three dancers who already knew each other for good reason. Since they have such a strong and good friendship, they can show real emotions much more easily.

What is friendship?
Nowadays we have social media like Facebook etc. It is therefore important to take care of your friends. Romantic relationships can last for just a few weeks, but friendships can last for years and forever. Adults are like big kids. They can recognize themselves in the play as they had this same feeling of loneliness when they were younger. Many still have this feeling of loneliness, even as they get older.

Why did you make the piece?
There are two main reasons why I made this piece. The first was to make a funny piece. The second reason was that the piece should reflect real life. It should make the audience think back to when they were younger. The play should make them feel drawn into the story by being able to identify with hating each other, laughing, relaxing, etc. I also really want the audience to get a sense of wanting to be on stage.

What do you want the audience to leave with after the play?
To be happy. Even though the world is complicated, it's nice to see that someone feels the same way. Then you don't feel completely alone. I'd like the audience to talk and reflect on the play afterwards.