Øyvind Jørgensen

Øyvind Jørgensen is part of the modernist experimental dance community in Norway, something he has been since the mid-1980es. Jørgensen concentrates on an expressive, dynamic approach to dance.

His artistic impressions he has gotten from studies at Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, Japanese Butoh dance and European contemporary dance. Through a synthesis of these three different expressions, experiences and techniques, Jørgensen has developed his personal expression.

Øyvind Jørgensen first was introduced to Butoh in 1984 by Sankai Juku in New York. In 1991 he got the opportunity to dance for the Japanese Butoh choreographer Anzu Furukawa in the production Under the Window. The meeting and work with Furukawa was significant for the development of Jørgensen's choreographic expression.

The solo Songs of the Last Hour (1997) marked a turning point in his artistic career as an independent choreographer. With Manoeuvring in a rolling landscape (1999) Øyvind Jørgensen placed himself among Norway's leading choreographers. For this production he was nominated for The Hedda Award 2000 in open category.

With the solo Adorer's Journal (2000) he was selected as the most excellent dancer of the year by the international journal Ballet International Critics Survey 2000. The production toured with The Norwegian Touring Theatre the winter of 2000.

The season of 2004/2005 choreographer Øyvind Jørgensen had success with two productions springing out from two male literary characters; Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt and Miguel Cervantes Saavedra's Don Quijote. Peer Gynt no. 371 toured the winter and spring of 2006 upper secondary schools in the county of Oppland, before going on a Norwegian tour with The Norwegian Touring Theatre, and the autumn of 2000 the production visited Valmiera in Latvia.

Øyvind Jørgensen has collaborated with a number of artists, such as composers, visual artists, performance artists and actors as well as other dancers and choreographers. He presented his first choreography Recognition in 1986. In 1987 he founded Zakraz Dance Company with the choreographers Karen Foss and Ingun Bjørnsgaard. In Zakraz he worked as a dancer, choreographer and co-producer until 1993. In 1994 he founded his own dance company, Ø. J. Produksjoner.

Øyvind Jørgensen has been given the national working grant for artists twice, first in 1993 for a period of three years, next in 2003 for a period of four years.

Sources:

Øyvind Jørgensen, ojprod.com, 08.12.2010, http://www.ojprod.com/oj/index.html

Sceneweb on The Hedda Award 2000, www.sceneweb.no, 12.11.2012, http://www.sceneweb.no/en/awarding/23919/Heddaprisen_2000-2000

The National Academy of Ballet, Oslo (1983).

Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in New York (1985).

• Frostad Dansekompani - Dancer
• Zakraz Dansekompani - Choreographer (from 1987 to 1993)
• Øyvind Jørgensen Productions - Artistic director (from 1994 to 2021)
• Performing Arts Hub Norway - Leader of board (from to 2006)

• The Hedda Award 2000 - Open category for Manoeuvring in a rolling landscape