HMKscene

Hanne Merete Knutsen

Performance Artist / Choreographer / Dance Artist / Mask Performer

 

I have been an active performance artist since 1990, primarily focusing on dance, choreography and visual theater. My artistic expressions range from contemporary dance to flamenco, often integrating text, film, puppetry, and masks.

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The poetry of Stein Mehrens has inspired and influenced my artistic practice, serving as the foundation for the performances "Hotel Memory" (2000), "Night Machine" (2004), "Vernissasjer" (2007), and "By the Mirror" (2011). In the first two installation performances, he actively contributed with creative input.

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Together with Øystein Sørensen (Solon), I created "Cohen & Flamenco", a fusion of Leonard Cohen's music and flamenco dance. This was a deep dive into Cohen and his inspiration from the flamenco poet Federico Garcia Lorca. Previously, I worked on Lorca's texts with the Spanish theater group "Teatro Lomvris" in London in 1998.

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For the past seven years, I have collaborated with actors, where text, film, and puppet theater have played a central role in my performances. The result of this development has included works such as "The District Dancer" (2017), "Shall, Shall not..!" (2020), "Skirt" (2021), and "Read The Room" (2022).

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In 2024, I undertook further education in mask theater with the theater company Familien Flöz in Berlin, culminating in the performance "Jolene." This performance was showcased during Dance Days on April 28, 2024, at Moss Cultural House. This is a theatrical form that will become my main focus moving forward.

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Since 2018, I have also engaged in film and editing, creating four "Screendance" films and incorporating film into stage productions as well as my own art films.