Skimmed Words

Skimmed Words was a choreographic practice shared by Andreas Haglund, Stina Ehn, Antonia Harke and Denise Lim. The performative material worked with poetics as a means to practice qualitative sensibilities by tending to fiction. The practice felt into the meaningfolds of words.

Calling the ball a bitter butterfly, just to blow it at the river flowing down the wall. Letting subversive practices of signification raise the roof into a sky that is raining down insidious frogs on a stage stretching its way out to the foyer. 



Through touching and wording, the performers traced objects, each other and interiors of the theater. Skimmed Words is a mode of scanning that responds to shapes, temperatures and textures. It’s a worldbuilding activity that calls imaginary scenarios into action, pointing towards the fictions that can be found in ordinary objects, in theatres and performative situations.

Choreography, Performance and Project Management: Stina Ehn, Denise Lim, Antonia Harke & Andreas Haglund

Skimmed Words started as a low-stakes residency at Dance Cooperative in 2020. In October 2021, a pilot of Skimmed Words as a performance was presented at the works-in-process festival at HAUT/Theatre Zeppelin, Copenhagen. The previous research was funded by Statens Kunstfond (DK), HAUT, Konstnärsnämnden (SE) and National Arts Council Singapore. Developed in residencies at Dance Cooperative and HAUT (Copenhagen) and höjden studios (Stockholm).

During October 2024, the material was taught as a workshop at Dansehallerne, Copenhagen.