Uppercut Danseteater

Since its creation in 1985, Uppercut Danseteater, under the direction of Cher Geurtze and Sheila de Val, has had dance productions for children and youth and workshops as its trademark. Uppercut was one of the first modern dance companies in Denmark to receive support from the Danish Arts Council. Since then, more than 200,000 children and youth in Denmark and around the world have seen the company’s performances.

Uppercut Danseteater’s style lies at the intersection of modern dance and performance. In its productions, the company seeks to break with customary conceptions of modern dance, creating a dramaturgical line and tension fields that are relevant for today’s youth. The company has a long tradition of collaborating with guest artists, film and theater instructors, composers, and choreographers from Denmark and abroad.

Over the years, Uppercut has created countless productions for children and youth that have been shown at cultural institutions, theater associations, schools, and gymnasiums throughout Denmark. Annually, the company holds approximately seventy performances in Denmark, and its international touring activities are on the rise. In 2010, the company was Denmark’s representative at the Europe on the Water festival in Turkey; in 2009, Uppercut gave guest performances during the Danish state visit to Vietnam. Other international tours have brought Uppercut to such destinations as Shanghai, Paris, Budapest, New York, Berlin, and Bologna.

Among its other activities, Uppercut has many years’ experience holding workshops for children and youth in schools, youth associations and clubs throughout Denmark. Here the company’s dancers introduce students and teachers to modern dance through different workshop formats.

In 1999, Uppercut launched the popular community dance project ”Dans i Nordvest” in Copenhagen’s Northwest district, a neighborhood with a large multiethnic population. Dans i Nordvest offers classes to children and youth, where they are introduced to different forms of dance as a mode of expression.

Uppercut and Dans i Nordvest will change locations in January 2012 to the new Dansekapel in Bispebjerg, housed in the old chapel and crematorium in Bispebjerg churchyard. The building’s renovation is made possible by grants from the municipality of Copenhagen, the Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities, and Nordea-Fonden. As co-initiator of the project, Uppercut is proud to be part of bringing dance to even more parts of Copenhagen.