TankeSUS - Brother

The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet
Performers: Dancers from The Planet
Choreographer: Odd Johan Fritzøe
Scenography: Kari Hansen
Music: Igor Stravinsky
Duration: approx. 45 min.
Producer: Oslo Kommune/Bydel Stovner

Not many hip hop performances choose to use classical music for the dance. That's why we were so excited to see the dance performance Bror! We've finally seen it, in no other place than the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet.

"The concept was really cool. Not many people dance hip hop to classical music, so it was fun to see something new. It was also impressive and a plus that they dared to try something new! On the other hand, it's a bigger challenge, and the dance may have to impress the audience even more for them to like it. That's why we were a little more skeptical and surprised when we heard they were going to use classical music.

The plot was about brotherhood. Since they didn't have lines, it was harder to understand, but you see moments that have symbolism and show the message. For example, the props, which were shields, were very important to the story. The shields represented protection for life's challenges. Without the shields, it would have been a bit monotonous, so it was a positive tool.

Much of the dance was incredibly good! We can see that there is a lot of work behind the performance. While it was good and well executed, there were some things that weren't as convincing. For example, there were times when they weren't quite in sync. In addition, some might have been able to do the movements "all the way out" and be more enthusiastic and have more contact with the audience. Nevertheless, we didn't think this was very negative considering that they are from a youth club. Therefore, they were not on the same professional level as the other performances we have seen. Thus, it was a good mix with different dance skills.

"I would like to mention that the divisions and set-ups during the performance were incredibly cool. The solos and the smaller groups made it easier to see each person and the symbolism. In addition, there was more variation in the image. Unfortunately, it looked a bit messy at times when everyone was dancing, so it was a bit much at once for some of us.

The end is what I want to highlight! I fell in love with the last bit where a group, which you could see on Norske Talenter, performed. It couldn't have been a cooler ending. That was the kind of style we missed a bit during the performance.