DETOUR URBAN DANCE FESTIVAL 2012 FORSKELLIGHEDER Toxique Magazine special edition
special edition of Toxique Magazine Toxique Magazine
Toxique Magazine is a free online art magazine which visually tries to describe relevant artistic events internationally by capturing current trends in every different artistic gernre and style - including modern experimental dance. Detour is a co-production between Dansehallerne and Sara Jordan. Dansehallerne’s Urban Perfomance program and Detour Urban Dance festival is a celebration of the whole urban dance environment and is dedicated to further accelerate urban dance, meet new audiences across cultural differences and strengthen the great choreographic potential in Denmark. During the four-days-festival Dansehallerne in Copenhagen the collaboration with Detour will offer true urban dance with dance performances, dance battles, workshops, outdoor street events, afterparty, etc. In this special edition of Toxique, the magazine features the modern dance performance ‘Forskelligheder’ by Toniah Pedersen (DK), who participated in DETOUR URBAN DANCE FESTIVAL 2012. Follow Detour on Facebook. Follow Dansehallerne on Facebook. Find Toniah Pedersen on Facebook. Photographic credits: M. Wengler Zoom in by clicking at a page and zoom out by clicking once more. Turn pages by using the left/righ arrows on your keyboard. Remember to check out the hidden links in the e-magazine!
created by editor and contemporary visual photographic artist Marie Wengler www.mariewengler.com mariewengler.see.me
Marie Wengler
FORSKELLIGHEDER
Choeographer Toniah Pedersen Dancers Suad Demirovic (DK), Prentice Whitlow (NYC) Music Flip/Christopher Egeberg Costumes Barbara i Gongini Voice over Maria Hamer + Niclas Bendixen, Mette Wolf Iversen, Claudio Morales, Stepz, Copenhagen Dance Space and Sara Jordan
Choreographer Toniah Pedersen has a unique street style, which varies from R & B to rock, pop and jazz. She has experience with choreography from music video, dance, theater, musicals, commercials, movies and TV. Toniah was one of the first female street funk dancers in Denmark when she began her career, and today she is one of the best choreographers in Denmark. Throughout her career, she has lived in New York, LA and London. She has had the pleasure of working with the world famous Fatima Robinson for several years and with some of the foremost RnB artists in the UK and the U.S. In the recent years, Toniah has focused on working with theater, and by doing so, she covers now the whole entertainment industry. Her choreographic style is multifaceted, focusing on the best creative results, always creating new material. Toniah always try to deliver an experience beyond the ordinary and she pays attention to details. Her work ‘FORSKELLIGHEDER’ is based on the famous quote by Martin Luther King: ‘We must come to see that the end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience. And that will be a day not of the white man, not of the black man. That will be the day of man as man’.
Dear Toniah, I have had the unique and unforgettable experience to photograph your piece ‘FORSKELLIGHEDER’ during DETOUR URBAN DANCE FESTIVAL 2012 in Copenhagen, and I immediately felt hooked by your choreography, the scenographic simplicity and the dancers fantastic charisma. I’m therefore curious to know more your ideas and thoughts behind your piece?
It was important to me to find dancers who could carry themselves and somehow take responsibility of the actual process as well as perform with great charisma and integrity. So the actual casting of dancers took months. Also the actual idea for the piece developed over time. I started out thinking about the difference between the modern/ contemporary world and the hiphop community then moved on to think of differences in life in general, and then ended up playing with the thought how we all in some shape or form do the same things everyday, and therefor ended up by embracing that in the piece....
How is your creative workflow when creating a new piece/performance and selecting the dancers - how do you create a new piece? Do you work from a general idea and gradually define the details, or do you plan every little detail perfectly in advance?
So to continue the thought from previous question, No I dont plan every little detail in advance, i like to move with the flow of the atual proces with my dancers and my thoughts gradually defining the details as we go along.
DETOUR DANSEHALLERNE Toniah Pedersen
What or who inspires you? Do you relate to or consult with other choreographers or dancers in your creative process when you experiment with new ideas?
It is very important to me to experiment and consult with fellow choreographers as well as dancers before and during the process.....
How did you become a part of the Detour Urban Dance Festival this year and how has the experience been?
Sara Jordan, the founder of Detour, asked me a long time ago if I would consider being a part of the Festival, and I accepted immediately! Love the fact that an event like this can take place with such big success. Gives us an opportunity to show our work, which we are denied in the established danish dance world.....
What has been the biggest challenge and best experience in your career so far?
To uproot myself and move to different countries and get everything up and running with no more than a dime in my pocket and my talent...
What are some of your favourite projects that you’ve worked on in your career as both a dancer and choreographer?
To be able to work with some of the biggest artist as a dancer but also to develop as a choreographer and work with talented people.
As a dancer, your body is your working implement. I would therefore like to hear how you - as an experienced dancer - has managed to maintain a flexibility in your body - and as far as possible have avoided injuries?
Lots of Yoga combined with pilates
Which interests do you have besides dance and choreography?
My family, friends, music, art, travel etc etc - the list goes on ...
What role does an artist (which I really believe you are) and art in all forms in general have in society according to you?
The biggest role, cause art helps us reflect, think out of the box, challenge us, entertain, move us, in other words - art makes us feel alive...
What do you hope the future holds for you?
I know the future holds whatever I want, the question is if I have the courage to go and get it and I do ;)
Toniah Pedersen Worldwide Discography
TV Awards - CHOREOGRAPHER Artist Event Soap Danish Music Awards DGP Danish Music Awards Miss Mukupa Danish Music Awards Clemens & Petter Danish Music Awards Funk Star De Luxe Danish Music Awards Juice Danish Music Awards Karen Danish Music Awards Caroline Henderson Danish Music Awards Christian Falk f. Demitrius Swedish TV4 Funk Star De Luxe Danish Music Awards Maxee MTV – The Lick Damage MTV – 5 Night Stand Damage MOBO Awards Popstars: The Rivals ITV – September to December LL Cool J MOBO Awards Ja Rule MOBO Awards Emma Buinton TOTP Big Brovaz TOTP Big Brovaz MTV- 5 Night Stand Jamelia TOTP Jamelia CD:UK Suga Babes TV-Promo 411 TOTP Brian Mcfadden TOTP Paprika Steen Zulu-awards Saseline Dj-awards Camille Jones Dj-awards Kato Zulu-awards Linda P Zulu-awards
MUSIC VIDEOS – CHOREOGRAPHER Artist Single Label Juice ‘Best Days’ EMI/Medley Dmk Juice ‘I’ll Come Running’ EMI/Medley Dmk Juice ‘I’m Not In Love’ EMI/Medley Dmk Juice ‘My Love’ EMI/Medley Dmk Smile ‘Butterfly’ EMI/Medley Dmk Christian Falk f. Demitrius ‘Make It Right’ Warner S.O.A.P. ‘S.O.A.P. Is In The Air’ Sony Music Dmk Damage ‘Ghetto Romance’ EMI/Cooltempo Damage ‘Still Be Lovin You’ EMI/Cooltempo Damage ‘So What If I’ EMI/Cooltempo Damage ‘After The Love’ EMI/Cooltempo Liberty ‘Thinking It Over’ V2 Louise ‘Stuck In The Middle’ EMI Ladies First ‘I Can’t Wait’ Polydor Emma Bunton ‘We’re Not Going To Sleep Tonight’ Virgin Melodi Brown ‘Naked’ Polydor 3SL ‘Touch Me Tease Me’ EMI Lisa Mafia ‘All over’ Independiente Big Brovaz ‘Nu Flow’ Sony Big Brovaz ‘Okay’ Sony Big Brovaz ‘Favourite Things’ Sony Big Brovaz ‘Baby Boy’ Sony Big Brovaz ‘It Ain’t What You Do’ Sony Big Brovaz ‘Thank You’. Sony Ms Dynamite ‘Dynamitee’ Polydor Mis-teeq ‘Scandalous’ Telstar Zena feat Beenie Man ‘Been around the world’ Mercury Girls Aloud ‘The Show’ Polydor Jokeren ‘Klap dig selv på skulderen’ Flamingo records Jokeren ‘Den eneste anden’ Flaminco records
LIVE - CHOREOGRAPHER Artist Event Juice DMK tour * EU promo * Five tour DGP DMK tour Los Umbrellos DMK tour Smile DMK tour * SW tour * Asia tour S.O.A.P. DMK tour * EU tour * Backstreet Boys tour Funk Star De Luxe DMK tour Damage UK showcase * UK & EU promo * UK tour The Honeyz UK promo Liberty UK promo Louise UK promo Big Brovaz UK-Europe-Australia promo D side UK promo Jamelia UK tour supporting Justin Timberlake 411 UK-Europe promo Thomas Helmig DK-tour & Asia Aqua DK-tour Clemens DK-tour Kato DK-tour Damage London Jazz CAfe
ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS / MOVIES /TV– CHOREOGRAPHER/PRINICIPAL Advert Producer Advertising Chesterfield Produced by Blink TV commercial Ipod Produced by Anonymous TV commercial CBBC babies Produced by BBC TV commercial Nestle Produced by Ben Cooper TV commercial the Euro Produced by Michelle Derrick TV commercial Metropolitan Police Produced by Katie Dawson TV commercial Carlsberg Produced by Busk Maasboel TV commercial St Ides Malt Liquor Produced by Ricky Harris W/ Warren G, platinum artist TV commercial Nintendo Corporation Produced by Leo Bennet TV commercial Schlitz Malt Liquor Produced by ‘The End’ TV commercial Michael Jackson tour Produced by Bullit TV commercial TDC Produced by WD&P TV commercial Hummel Produced by Greathouse Tv commercial Gigtforeningen Produced by We Love People Movie Director Dancer In The Dark Lars Von Trier Churchlll the Hollywood years Peter Richardson Magi I luften Simon Staho Nogle gange kommer vinteren- Om natten Lærke Lauta Tv series Store Drømme Tv 2/choreographer Manden m de gyldne ører DR2/choreographer
TV PERFORMANCES US – DANCER/PRINCIPAL Artist Show Heavy D Good Day LA Heavy D John Stewart Show Mary J Blige Jay Leno Show Mary J Blige Friday Night Videos Mary J Blige NBA All Star Game Notorious B.I.G. Soultrain Music Awards Mary J Blige Soultrain Music Awards Mary J Blige Essence Awards Backstreet Boys European MTV Awards Backstreet Boys VMA Awards Maxwell Lady Of Soul Awards Backstreet Boys MTV Awards Brain McKnight Keenan Ivory Wayans Show
MUSIC VIDEOS US – DANCER/PRINCIPAL Artist Video Label Will Smith ‘Nod Your’ Head’ Heavy D ‘Black Coffee’ Uptown/MCA A Few Good Men ‘A Little Somethin..’ LaFace D’Angelo ‘Brown Sugar’ EMI Mary J Blige ‘Joy’ Uptown/MCA Solo ‘Where Should I Put It’ Perspective/A+M 112 ‘Only You’ Bad Boy/Arista Timbaland & Magoo ‘Clock Strikes’ Atlantic Faith Evans ‘Love Like This’ Bad Boy/Arista Lenny Kravitz ‘Fly Away’ Virgin Gerald Levert ‘Thinkin’ Bout It’ Electra Missy, Timbaland & Magoo ‘Here We Come’ Atlantic Billy Crawford ‘Mary Lopez’ Shaggy ‘Dance & Shout’ Universal Horace Brown ‘One for the money
LIVE PERFORMANCES US – DANCER Artist Event Heavy D Budweiser Superfest tour Mary J Blige Live dates/Biggest Hip-Hop tour/BET Brian McKnight US promo tour Shaggy EU promo tour Horace Brown
US and EU promo tour
THEATER PRODUCTIONS Play Director Simon Director World History Director West Side Story Director pher/2006 Gasolin (theater concert) Director Speed Dating (dance play) Director Jungle Book Director Romeo & Julie Director Sommerballetten Director Bang Bang Director 2200 Carmen Director Nu som mennesker Director Jazz, Love & Henderson Director
Nikolaj Cederholm Nikolaj Cederholm Lars Kaalund
/dancer/ 2005 /dancer/2005 /co-choreogra-
Nikolaj Cederholm /choreographer/2006 Signe Fabricius /dancer/2007 Jan Hertz /choreographer/2007 Lars Kaalund /choreographer/2008 Alexander Kølpin /choreographer/2008 Kenneth Bager /dancer/2008 Søren Iversen /choreographer/2009 Casper Christensen & Frank Hvam / choreo Christoffer Bergdal / ass choreographer
Dance play Artist director/Choreographer Play Event Venue Atini Khamsa Sommerballetten Bellevue teater Forskelligheder Detour Dansehallerne
Tv shows Show Function Popstars DK judge/2001 Popstars UK choreographer for the show/2002 So you think you can dance judge/choreographer/2006 So you think you can dance choreographer 2008 Vild m dans(Dance w the Stars) Choreographer opening/2009 X-Factor DK bootcamp Judge w Soulshock X-Factor DK 2010 Choreographer for Soulshock X-Factor DK 2011 Choreographer X-Factor DK 2012 Artistic director/choreographer Skjulte Stjerner DR Choreographer Vild m dans/Dance w the Stars Choreographer opening and final/2011 Vild m dans/Dance w the Stars Choreographer opening and final/2012 Secret Street Crew DK Host & Choreographer 2012
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I know the future holds whatever I want, the question is if I have the courage to go and get it - and I do
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