💓💓💓💓💓””Magical dance in the tranquil rooms of Hammershøj’s. (…) Hypnotically beautiful,” Politiken
“A sensual work in beautiful harmony,” Magasinet KBH
⭐⭐⭐⭐ ””A performance where all senses are tantalized,” KULTURTID
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ””A musical stroke of genius,” CPH CULTURE
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐” “Is it real or artificially created? Are we, the audience, being fooled, seduced, misled, and dazzled?” SCENEBLOG
“The culmination, a performance about crooked bodies like swaying reeds, reaches right into Lykke’s score (…) Music composed with extraordinary delicacy,” SEISMOGRAF
Leaning Tree blew both audiences and critics away when it premiered at the Royal Danish Playhouse last year. The performance combines dance with newly composed symphonic music created by one of the Danish music scene’s new strong compositional voices, Signe Lykke, and choreography by the visually captivating choreographer, Fernando Melo. Melo is known for his magical tricks and dreamlike universes and, together with Raphael Frisenvænge Solholm, they have created a space that is constantly in motion. Inspired by Hammershøj’s illusory, mysterious, and enigmatic universe, the audience is taken on a journey that offers disappearing acts, slow-motion interludes and captivating illusions that defy gravity. For what is real, and what is artificial?
Drawing Inspiration from Hammershøi’s paintings
Central to the set design of LEANING TREE is the profound influence of the renowned Danish artist Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864-1916). His masterpieces exude an unmistakable aura of tension and enigma. These elements served as crucial touchstones during Fernando Melo’s initial creative process. Hammershøi’s adeptness in composition, interplay of light and shadow, and the deliberate concealment of inner emotions evoke a tantalizing air of mystery, inviting the audience to contemplate the latent narratives and sentiments behind the scenes. This aura of uncertainty prompts viewers to embark on their own interpretive journeys, crafting personal narratives that resonate with the performance.
CHOREOGRAPHER Fernando Melo
DANCERS Jessica Lyall, Lukas Hartvig-Møller, Bradley Waller, Leticia Silva, Yi Shao Li, Kristin Bjerkestrand, Merete Hersvik, Jens Schyth Brøndum
COMPOSER Signe Lykke
COMPANY Danish Dance Theater
ORCHESTRA Copenhagen Phil
CONDUCTOR Christian Øland
LIGHTING DESIGN Raphael Frisenvænge Solholm
SCENOGRAPHY Raphael Frisenvænge Solholm & Fernando Melo
COSTUME DESIGN Maria Ipsen
PHOTO Raphael Frisenvænge Solholm
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING
The Aage & Johanne Louis-Hansens Foundation, The A.P. Møller and Chastine Mc-Kinney Møllers Foundation, The Augustinus Foundation, The Obel Family Foundation, Dronning Margrethe og Prins Henriks Fond, Hoffmann og Husmans Fond, Knud Højgaards Fond, Koda Kultur, Danish Arts Foundation, William Demant Fonden.
TIME & PLACE
MARCH 6 – 9 2025, Takkelloftet Operaen
MARCH 12 2025, Musikhuset Aarhus
MARCH 13 2025, Vejle Musikteater
MARCH 24 2025, Roskilde Teater
APRIL 1 2025, Odense Teater
APRIL 3 2025, Sønderborg Teater
MAY 8 2025, Helsingør Teater
