Beloved choreographer

Kenneth Kvarnström has a special position in Swedish dance life, both as a beloved choreographer and as a leader of major dance institutions such as Dansens Hus and Kulturhuset Stadsteatern in Stockholm. Over the years, he has been a recurring dear and appreciated guest and collaborator for Norrlandsoperan’s audience.

The sofa has been replaced with chairs

In 2015, Kenneth Kvarnström and lutist Jonas Nordberg visited Norrlandsoperan with the duet sofa(r), with a sofa as the only scenographic element. Ten years later, the friends return to the stage, the sofa has been replaced with chairs, but the performers are the same, only a few years older and possibly a little wiser.

Progress report on life as a “semi-retired”

The chair is a reflective duet. With ten chairs, a bunch of wooden figures and a suit made of cushions, the duo creates a low-key and philosophical contemplation of the transience of life.

Personally and with subtle humour, Kvarnström gives a status report on what it feels like to be a “semi-retired” – relaxed, joking but fundamentally serious. With the help of finger dancing, sitting dancing and small clarifications, we are guided through a performance where body and movement are woven together with tones from the lute and theorb, inspired by the masters of the Baroque.

The chair is a warm and personal collage that portrays friendship, the interplay between body and tone, and the passage of time.