Hungry Sharks (AUT)
Destination FCKD
soon!
Is the world just a simulation run by a supercomputer? Are we all merely characters in a gigantic computer game? These are questions that form the basis of the so-called simulation hypothesis. A thought experiment that is also reflected in a phenomenon known as NPCing: NPCs—“non-player characters”—are characters in video games that cannot be played but serve as background elements. They perform the same actions, movements, and dialogues in predefined loops. Minor characters, with whom more and more people have identified in recent years, imitating their language and movements on platforms like TikTok—either as a joke or to express a sense of hopelessness.
The Viennese urban dance company Hungry Sharks takes this trend as a starting point and gives these background characters, NPCs, and extras their own voice. Through "traveling movement patterns," loops of movement are developed that spread through repetition in space, creating solos and group choreographies that culminate in a triumphant parade of the seemingly insignificant.
Valentin Alfery, Choreography, Concept, Artistic Direction
Ailsa Li, Jana Dünner, Coline Hemery, Caterina Politi, Flóra Virag, Francesca de Girolamo, Dance
Manuel Riegler, Composition
Marco Payer, Dramaturgy
Dušana Baltić, Production & Artistic Advice
Max Rosenberger, Production Assistance
Kilian Kovacs, Photography
Supported by a residency from Festspielhaus St. Pölten and Tanzhaus Zürich Residency Center Tanz+
Funded by the City of Vienna, BMKÖS, City & State of Salzburg, and State of Carinthia
Co-produced by SZENE Salzburg and Brut Wien