Wakati (Time)

Wakati brings together dance, multilingual spoken word and live sound in a performance about identity, memory and belonging. The starting point is the experience of how the same body can be read in entirely different ways depending on place and perspective - as a sign of belonging or as an expression of otherness. Movement, voice and sound weave cultural memory, personal experience and social ascription into a layered whole.

Drawing on experiences between Kenyan and European contexts, the piece asks questions about visibility, privilege and belonging - and understands identity not as a fixed state but as something fluid. What remains of us when the context shifts? How much of who we are is shaped by the gaze of others?

Duration: 45 minutes

Choreography, performance: Shelmith Øseth
Direction, dramaturgy: Vibeke Flesland Havre
Music, composition: Stephan Meidell
Lighting design: Jan Holden
Costume, scenography: Olga Regitze Dyrløv Høegh
Producer: Sølvi Katrine Andersen (Bergen Dansesenter)
Co-producers: Carte Blanche and BIT Teatergarasjen
Cooperation partners: Bergen Dansesenter, Fargespill
Mentoring: Annabelle Bonnéry (Carte Blanche), Jens Jeffry Trinidad, Marit Loe Bjørnstad

Shelmith Øseth lives and works as a dancer and movement artist in Bergen and Oslo. Her work sits at the intersection of contemporary dance and traditional African dance forms including Indlamu, Pantsula and Isukuti - the dance of the Kenyan Luhya people. Trained at Langhaugen School in Bergen and at New Education for Contemporary Dance in Härnösand, Sweden, she uses dance as a medium to explore social and political themes. She has worked with Det Norske Teatret, Den Nationale Scene, Nordic Black Theatre, Bergen Kunsthall and the collective Nordic Beasts. Recent works include Horse in Flames at Panta Rei Danseteater in Oslo and Wakati.