"When the Bleeding Stops" is a performance in which choreographer Lovísa Ósk Gunnarsdóttir addresses the topic of menopause and the social taboo surrounding it, while sharing with the audience her own experience of aging as a dancer.
After an injury she sustained several years ago, Lovísa Ósk Gunnarsdóttir was forced to rethink her relationship with dance and her body. This process made her realize how little is said about menopause and how limited her own knowledge of the subject was. She began to explore the topic and announced an open call for women going through menopause, encouraging them to participate in the project. Soon, she began collaborating with a large group of women from diverse backgrounds across Iceland.
Since its premiere in 2021, *When the Bleeding Stops* has been performed on stages throughout Europe. In each location, Lovísa invites local middle-aged women to participate, ensuring that every performance takes on a different form. In this way, an evolving collective ritual emerges, in which memories, experiences, and relationships intertwine.
*When the Bleeding Stops* blends sensitivity, shame, empathy, and humor. The performance transports the audience into the intimate spaces of the participants’ homes, exploring the diverse experiences women have with menopause. It is an opportunity to laugh, be moved, and celebrate together.
After an injury she sustained several years ago, Lovísa Ósk Gunnarsdóttir was forced to rethink her relationship with dance and her body. This process made her realize how little is said about menopause and how limited her own knowledge of the subject was. She began to explore the topic and announced an open call for women going through menopause, encouraging them to participate in the project. Soon, she began collaborating with a large group of women from diverse backgrounds across Iceland.
Since its premiere in 2021, *When the Bleeding Stops* has been performed on stages throughout Europe. In each location, Lovísa invites local middle-aged women to participate, ensuring that every performance takes on a different form. In this way, an evolving collective ritual emerges, in which memories, experiences, and relationships intertwine.
*When the Bleeding Stops* blends sensitivity, shame, empathy, and humor. The performance transports the audience into the intimate spaces of the participants’ homes, exploring the diverse experiences women have with menopause. It is an opportunity to laugh, be moved, and celebrate together.
Duration: 50 minutes
COMPANY
Concept, choreography, and text: Lovísa Ósk Gunnarsdóttir
Lighting and sound design: Brett Smith
Video design: Lovísa Ósk Gunnarsdóttir and Brett Smith
Technical production during the tour: Brett Smith, Pálmi Jónsson, and Egill Ingibergsson
Lighting and sound design: Brett Smith
Video design: Lovísa Ósk Gunnarsdóttir and Brett Smith
Technical production during the tour: Brett Smith, Pálmi Jónsson, and Egill Ingibergsson
Special thanks to: Sigrún Ólafsdóttir, Egill Ingibergsson, Alexander Graham Roberts, Brogan Davison, Rebekka Ingimundardóttir, Valdimar Jóhannsson, and the Reykjavík Dance Festival.
International distribution: StepTurnMove
International distribution: StepTurnMove
gallery
Photo by Owen FIene
An award-winning dancer and choreographer. After a 16-year successful career with the Iceland Dance Company, she suffered an injury that forced her to rethink her relationship with dance, her body, and her own artistic practice. This experience, combined with a keen awareness of her body aging, made her realize how little is said about menopause and how limited her own knowledge of the subject was.
She began her research and conducted a series of interviews with women going through menopause in her local community. This led to her master’s studies in Performance Practice at the Iceland University of the Arts, during which she developed her artistic practice and conducted research on aging, knowledge, and memory embedded in the body, as well as the profound taboo that menopause remains. From this research and artistic practice, Gunnarsdóttir created the performance “When the Bleeding Stops.”
She began her research and conducted a series of interviews with women going through menopause in her local community. This led to her master’s studies in Performance Practice at the Iceland University of the Arts, during which she developed her artistic practice and conducted research on aging, knowledge, and memory embedded in the body, as well as the profound taboo that menopause remains. From this research and artistic practice, Gunnarsdóttir created the performance “When the Bleeding Stops.”
Lovísa Ósk Gunnarsdóttir
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