Tap dance, body percussion och jazzmusik i världsklass
Norrlandsoperan är stolt över att kunna presentera smygöppning av årets öppningsakt för Stockholm Tap Festival och det är ingen mindre än den världskände taktvirtuosen Max Pollak group.
Max Pollak omdefinierar rytmens gränser. Som musiker, bandledare, percussiv dansare, kompositör och pedagog sammanfogar Pollak steppdans, body percussion och sång till en enhetlig och elektrifierande helhet. Han behandlar kroppen som ett fullvärdigt och mångsidigt instrument och gör den till en självklar röst i varje ensemble.
Pollak har arbetat över hela världen och samarbetat med giganter inom jazz, klassisk musik och latinmusik. Hans extraordinära musikalitet har tagit honom upp på scen med legender som Ray Brown, Chucho Valdés, Slide Hampton, Paquito D’Rivera, Pedrito Martinez och Danilo Pérez – och även klassiska superstjärnor som Diana Damrau och Zubin Mehta. Han är en verklig gränsöverskridare, lika hemma i samarbeten med Los Muñequitos de Matanzas som med Bayerns statsoperas orkester.
Som ett bevis på hans inflytande är Max Pollak avbildad på USA:s “Forever Stamp” tillägnad steppdans. Han är en prisbelönt artist och medskapare av den hyllade off-Broadway-showen Carmen – To Havana and Back. Pollaks dynamiska konstnärskap har tagit honom till prestigefyllda scener som Wiens Konzerthaus och Tonhalle i Zürich. Hans debutalbum RumbaTap släpptes 2015.
Norrlandsoperan ägs till 60% av Region Västerbotten och 40% av Umeå kommun. Vi erhåller bidrag från Statens kulturråd.
Stort tack till alla bidragsgivare, sponsorer och samarbetspartners.
Medverkande och konstnärligt team
Trailblazing musician and bandleader Max Pollak brings his signature blend of percussive dance, body percussion and vocals to the concert stage. A native of Austria and a leader in cross-cultural performance for more than 25 years, Pollak blends jazz, tap dance, Afro-Caribbean traditions, Latin, and theatrical roots into a dynamic chamber music experience. His powerful ensemble of international musicians and singer-dancers present his original compositions with Cuban, American and Colombian classics, bringing fire and fun to get the audience dancing in the aisles..
Ludvig Daae är koreograf och dansare, verksam med bas i Oslo och Stockholm. Han har en förkärlek för långsiktiga samarbeten, ovanliga scenrum och populärkulturella referenser. Hans verk rör sig ofta i gränslandet mellan det personliga och det konceptuella – gärna med en dos självdistans, glitter och noggrant researcharbete.
Efter studier i dans vid P.A.R.T.S. i Bryssel och ett flitigt turnerande som dansare för bland andra Deborah Hay och Mårten Spångberg, har han skapat verk för bland annat Cullberg, Norrdans och Kungliga Svenska Balettskolan. Hans soloföreställning MM har spelats i över 100 föreställningar i tio länder och kallades ett av årets bästa scenkonstverk i Portugal 2014.
Ludvig Daae har tidigare turnerat med Dansnät Sverige med de egna verken Meningen med livet i samarbete med Tove Berglund (2023 och 2024) samt The Viral Dance (2020) och Hyperfruit (2017) båda i samarbete med Joanna Nordahl. Samtliga har visats på Norrlandsoperan.

Hailing from Berlin, Germany, Claudia Rahardjanoto moved to NYC in 2003, has been featured on the cover of Dance Teacher Magazine and was included in Dance Magazine’s annual ”25 To Watch” list. A tap dancer, body musician, singer, choreographer and teacher, Claudia currently tours with the award-winning tap dance company Dorrance Dance, under the artistic direction of MacArthur Fellow Michelle Dorrance, dances and sings with the Max Pollak Group, collaborates with pianist Michael Jellick as a piano & tap dance duo and is the choreographer and featured tap dancer for drummer Allison Miller’s ”Rivers In Our Veins”. She hopes to continue to be able to share her passion for the art of tap dance and music globally.

Born in New Delhi, India, raised in Detroit, MI, and now based in NYC, Michael Jellick is a well sought-after pianist, composer, arranger and teacher, who grew up playing classical piano and started playing jazz in high school. A mainstay on the Detroit Jazz scene and beyond, he’s had the pleasure of playing, touring, and/or recording with such musical greats as Bobby McFerrin, Common, Christian MeBride, Sheila Jordan, Ingrid Jensen, Marcus Belgrave, Rodney Whitaker, James Carter, Sean Jones, as well as a versatile array of other notable artists. He can be heard on the Blue Note Records release, Detroit Jazz City – an album that opens a window onto, and celebrates Detroit’s jazz legacy past and present. Drawing from his classical upbringing.

Samuel Torres hails from Bogota, Colombia. He won a Latin Grammy Award for Best Classical Recording “Regreso” in 2019, is a three-time recipient of New Jazz Works Grant by Chamber Music America, and holds a Master’s Degree in classical composition from Manhattan School of Music. Torres has performed, arranged, produced and/or recorded with Tito Puente, Paquito D’Rivera, Yo-Yo Ma, Chick Corea, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Shakira… He thrives at the intersection of Afro-Latin rhythms, Latin jazz, and contemporary classical music.

Barcelona born and Brooklyn based Alexis Cuadrado is an award winning composer, producer, bandleader, bassist, and educator. He is the founder of The Plaza Roja, a music for media studio where he creates original scores, immersive mixes, sonic branding, and production music for film, podcasts, radio, advertising, and digital platforms. His creative work draws from jazz, world music, electronica, flamenco, and new music, weaving together Hispanic and American influences while maintaining a clear commitment to social justice storytelling. At The Plaza Roja, Alexis brings this wide palette into cross disciplinary projects that blend poetry, film, podcasting, dance, and design, building a distinctive sound world that supports narrative and emotional depth.

Nicholas Young is a choreographer, dancer, musician and 2014 Bessie Award recipient. He toured with STOMP, and as Associate Artistic Director of Dorrance Dance for over a decade. His work has been performed at The Joyce Theater NYC, NY City Center, Jacobs Pillow, Sadlers Wells London, Hong Kong Arts Festival. He toured with Cyro Baptista’s “Beat the Donkey”, Darwin Deez and Dorrance Dance, appeared in the Amazon film ”Música” and created electronic music scores for two documentaries. He has taught at international Tap Dance and Music festivals in New York, Chicago, Sweden, Mexico, Finland, Germany, and Hong Kong. Nicholas is the Director and Founder of Rhythmic Arts Center in New York City, a performance space, school, and creative hub for percussive arts, movement and spiritual practice.

Camila Aldet is a proud Argentinian performing artist with an international career in music and theater. She has performed her own tap dance & song show at renowned NYC venues and festivals, such as Minton’s Playhouse and 54 Below. Theatre credits include On Your Feet!(Broadway National Tour), Anything Goes (Reno Sweeney, CTM), A Wonderful Life (Fireside Theater), Evita’s Return (GALA Theatre, DC), Much Ado About Nothing (CTM), and Lapsus (Arg). She is thrilled to join Max Pollak Group and thanks her family and friends for their support! IG: @cami.aldet.

