By 2022, Thursday evenings at Cultural House Risbjerggaard had become a groundbreaking experiment in the sharing of bodily knowledge, where diverse movement traditions converged to explore the liberating potential of dance. Archival materials reveal how the physical experiences of industrial-era workers and the urban dance movements of the youth engaged in a fertile exchange through the orally transmitted principle, “each one teach one.”
The grand festival hall, once a venue for union meetings and local balls, was transformed into a weekly stage for dialogue between body cultures. Historical accounts describe how the collective patterns of folk dance intertwined with the expressive urban styles of breakdance, gradually merging into innovative hybrid dance forms.
The most celebrated example of this fusion is “The Electric Polka,” which blends the community-focused rhythms of traditional folk music with the soloist expressiveness of breakdance. Still practised in the area today, this unique dance stands as a testament to how local movement traditions can be revitalised through encounters with new cultural influences.
“Hvidovre Makes Good Times Better” An exhibition by Kristoffer Ørum at Hvidovre Central Library 16 January - 28 February 2025 Opening Hours: Monday: 10:00-19:00 Tuesday-Friday: 10:00-18:00 Saturday-Sunday: 10:00-16:00 Venue: Hvidovre Central Library, Hvidovrevej 280, 2650 Hvidovre, Denmark A2 prints available for 50 EUR each at oerum.tpopsite.com This counterfactual art project merges AI-generated imagery with human-written narratives to explore an alternative history of Hvidovre. Through this reimagining, the exhibition examines how the cultural intersection of local DIY hip-hop culture and labour movements might have shaped this Danish suburb differently. Supported by: Danish Arts Foundation, Hvidovre Municipality Discretionary Fund, and Hvidovre Libraries Acknowledgements: Svend Vibe Dahlgren, Trine Friedrichsen, Majken Hansen, Dorte Bach, Henriette Laura Astrup, Rasmus Hurtig, Tania Ørum, Miriam Boolsen, Michael Boelt Fischer, and all hip-hop artists and labour movement participants in Hvidovre.
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