UPPERCUT DANSETEATER (DK) + OULOUY (CI/ES)
Pilgrim + Black
DOUBLE PROGRAMME WITH 2 PERFORMANCE IN 1 EVENING:
In PILGRIM, Mark Philip dances his personal journey from aimless teenager to determined artist in a exploratory choreography featuring nothing but a bathtub on stage. In BLACK, the dancer Oulouy reflects on what it means to be Black – from apartheid to #BlackLivesMatter and the murder of George Floyd.
Can be purchased with K7 Week discount. Read more below.
The evening's programme
19:30 Pilgrim (40 min)
20:10 Pause (15 min)
20:25 Black (30 min)
20:55 Thank you for coming
PILGRIM - Uppercut Dance Theatre (DK)
Pilgrim – a traveller, a seeker, an explorer.
Mark Philip – artistic director, choreographer and dancer with the award-winning Uppercut Dance Theatre – has created “Pilgrim”, a personal work about his own life journey. His living, breathing, dancing body invites the audience to join him on life’s unpredictable, wondrous journey. From his youth in Hvidovre as an aimless teenager to his busy life as a determined artist in vibrant Copenhagen.
With a bathtub on stage as a metaphor for life’s baggage and the world’s counterweight, he weaves his narrative using just a few powerful elements: water, dance and the audience’s attention.
The Aarhus audience most recently experienced the highly energetic Mark Philip at Aarhus Summer Dance last August in the performance “Benched”. He is also a dancer in Uppercut Dance Theatre’s “SHĀH MĀT”, choreographed by his partner Stephanie Thomasen and nominated for a Reumert Award for Dance Performance of the Year 2026.
The performance’s soundtrack will feature music by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Nils Frahm, amongst others.
BLACK - OULOUY (CI/ES)
“I can’t breathe”. George Floyd’s final words before he died will never be forgotten. In dancer and choreographer Oulouy’s “Black”, he draws parallels between #BlackLivesMatter and apartheid in a gripping dance performance.
Through dance and video clips, Oulouy reflects in a documentary-style manner on violence, emancipation and what it means to be black in the world today. A choreography that shifts from jerking, fearful and constrained to athletic, hopeful and free, and back again. A depiction of the historical horrors from the slave trade to racial segregation in the USA, but also of the resistance against racism.
In “Black”, Oukouy creates a visual, musical chronicle through street dance styles from the African continent and the USA, such as Afrohouse, Krump, Coupé-Décalé and Ndomboló. At the same time, he makes room for the soulful poetry of the past through Nina Simone’s “Strange Fruit”, Dinah Washington’s “This Bitter Earth” and Maya Angelou’s beloved poem “And Still I Rise”. With great intensity he sheds light on the paradox of the Black Body, which is simultaneously both wounded and celebrated.
40 DKK - special price for young people between 18 and 25 years
Experience the performance for only DKK 40.
At theaters around the country, you can buy tickets for only 40 DKK for performances in week 37 (September 8th – 14th) if you are between 18 and 25 years old. This offer is valid at Bora Bora for “Pilgrim+Black”.
Read more about K7 Week here.
How do you do it?
From August 10th you can use a promotion code, when you buy your ticket on this page. This code has not been announced at present time.
Reviews
PILGRIM:
★★★★
“Although water splashes all over the audience, Mark Philip gets away with it because, as a dancer, he possesses a playful innocence that makes it impossible to be angry with him. Here he appears as a poetic and curious explorer, seeking to find meaning in it all from the depths of the bathtub. (…) A fine example of how dance without words can give the audience a new experience of the magic of theatre.”
– CPHCULTURE, Mikael Søby
BLACK:
“Oulouy is a masterful choreographic storyteller. (…) We can feel the pain all the way to the back rows.”
– Iscene.dk (read the whole review – in Danish)
”His stage presence is undeniable.”
– Kelly Apter, Springback
”Oulouy is a strong performer, mesmerising to watch. Many questions arise after the final steps conclude.”
– Marco Pronovost, Springback (The Scotsman Dance Critic)
About Uppercut Dance Theatre (DK)
For over 40 years, Uppercut Dance Theatre has been creating hard-hitting performances for adults, young people and children alike. The company combines modern dance, breakdance and theatre in a dynamic style that challenges conventions and offers physical answers to life’s questions.
Founded in 1982 by Cher Geurtze and Ann Crosset, Uppercut was among the first modern companies in Denmark to receive public funding. Today it is led by Stephanie Thomasen and Mark Philip, who have further developed the style with productions such as “SHĀH MĀT” (Reumert-nominated for Dance Performance of the Year 2026), “PAS DE DIEU” (in collaboration with Fix+Foxy / Reumert-nominated for Collaboration of the Year 2026), “BENCHED”, “SAMBA”, “PANIC DAY” and “360°”, among others.
The company is known for its physical acrobatics and fusion of styles such as capoeira, breakdance and contemporary dance. Their performances balance dark aesthetics with unexpected humour. Uppercut has received several Reumert nominations and awards and collaborates extensively with schools, theatres and international artists.
Based at Dansekapellet in Copenhagen, Uppercut tours both nationally and internationally and continues to challenge and inspire audiences of all ages.
Website: uppercutdanseteater.dk
About Oulouy (CI/ES)
Born in the Ivory Coast and based in Spain, Oulouy combines his roles as a choreographer, dancer and artistic director with teaching around the world. His first performance, “Black” (2020), is a reflection on the violence against and alienation of black bodies. He has since created “Afrikan Party” (2022) – a futuristic ode to Africa – and most recently “Kong” (2024).
Oulouy’s performances have been presented at international venues including the Perelman Performing Arts Centre in New York, Bluma Appel in Toronto, Fabrik Potsdam in Germany, Dansens Hus Oslo, Mercat de les Flors, Teatro Principal de Palma, Journées Théâtrales de Carthage, the Suzanne Dellal Centre and Dampfzentrale.
‘Black’ was selected for Danza a Escena 2024 to tour Spain. Oulouy was one of the first choreographers to present his work within this network. ‘Afrikan Party’ received the award for Best Choreography at the Catalan Performing Arts Critics Awards (2023) and has also been included in the choreographic archive at the New York Public Library. Oulouy was selected as a priority artist by the European dance scene network Aerowaves with ‘Black’.
Credits
PILGRIM:
Idea, concept og choreography:
Mark Philip
Choreographic consultant:
Stephanie Thomasen
Dancer:
Mark Philip
Music:
Nils Frahm
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Producer:
Maja Holtze
Photos:
Bahadir Badi Berber
Supported by:
The Danish Arts Foundation
BLACK:
Choreography & performance:
Oulouy
Produced & distributed by:
Africa Moment