CANCEL BERTHA

Norwegian

International

Duration:

80 min

Stage:

Main stage

Price:

165 - 480 kr

- what really makes the piece work are the dancers. Playful yet precise, they all perform terrifically.

Seeing Dance

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CANCEL BERTHA moves to its own rhythm- a playful blend of energy, curated chaos, and unexpected creativity. The performance reflects Jan Martens’ signature approach: reimagining dance as a space for individuality, connection, and subtle humor. Scenes flow seamlessly from one moment to the next, blurring the boundaries between moments of ecstatic group energy and sequences of suspended intimacy.

In CANCEL BERTHA, music isn’t always what you hear—it’s what you see and feel. True to Martens’ fascination with rhythm, structure, and music scores, the dancers’ movements become their own soundscape. Silence holds as much weight as motion, and patterns emerge with geometry in delightful ways.

CANCEL BERTHA is bold without being brash, playful, yet precise. It’s a dense dance evening that draws inspiration from polyrhythms and a love for layered storytelling. The Carte Blanche ensemble crafts a performance that balances the poppy, the avant-garde, and the deeply human.

Coreography

Jan Martens

Assistant choreographer

Naomi Gibson

Scenography

Joris van Oosterwijk

Lighting design

Elke Verachtert

Costume design

Indrani Balgobin

Dancers

Adrian Bartczak
Aslak Aune Nygård
Brecht Bovijn
Dawid Lorenc
Gaspard Schmitt
Ihsaan de Banya
Irene Vesterhus Theisen
Iris Auguste
Mai Lisa Guinoo
Nadege Kubwayo
Noam Eidelman Shatil
Ola Korniejenko
Ole Martin Meland
Olha Mykolayivna Stetsyuk

Collage

Luke Drozd

Process and press photos

Øystein Haara

Video

David Alræk

 Co-producer: Bergen International Festival

Strobe lights are used in CANCEL BERTHA. It is a calm, pulsating strobe that lasts for approximately 3 minutes. The light is used around 50 minutes into the performance.