Ripe Body

RIPE BODY is a cross-genre solo dance performance in two parts, that explores how the feminine body and identity is shaped, percieved and expressed – between gaze, lust, power and liberation. In a transparent box with a mirror-clad floor and ceiling, the scenography lifts the dancer up and creates a 360 º piedestal that sets the stage for a sensous, energetic and visually stunning experience which combines intimate physical performance with vibrating electronic music.

RIPE BODY is co-produced with Roskilde Festival, Aaben Dans, Bora Bora – Dans og Visuelt Teater, Teater Momentum and Dansehallerne-organisation. It is part of OuDance -festival.

RIPE BODY: CARVING (Part 1)

In RIPE BODY: CARVING, Ruth Rebekka presents a performance installation where the human body becomes a living, shifting sculpture—twisting in an endless kaleidoscopic reflection like an animated Rorschach test.

A young woman, dressed in red sweatpants, her hair loose, and wearing stiletto heels, moves within a glass box elevated to the audience’s eye level. Mirrors placed on the floor and ceiling reflect her body infinitely, as well as the audience invited to stand close. The viewers, cast in the role of voyeurs, are encouraged to confront their own  curiosity, morality,vulnerability, and desire. The body becomes a sculptural presence of flesh—estranged from both itself and the gaze of the beholder.

Within this intimate and unsettling exchange, a central question emerges: How exposed is the performer, really? A subtle, simmering play of power unfolds between observer and observed.

RIPE BODY: RIP IT (Part 2)

An über-feminine alien takes over the glass box in the second part, RIPE BODY: RIP IT. The razor sharp heels now appear as part of a full-body suit from another world. Ruth Rebekka is transformed—like a siren, she lures the audience closer and closer, while deep basslines and atmospheric vocals from live musician Lauge Heebøll make the room vibrate in a club-like concert experience. The box’s floor and ceiling mirrors reveal every inch of the glittering body, which fluctuates between powerful self-staging—seducing and challenging the audience—and moments of introspection that expose a vulnerable, human being. Or do they?

In an experience that is as much live concert as it is performance, the creature holds eye contact with the audience on a journey through vulnerability, passion, and explosive energy. The pendulum of power swings constantly—back and forth—in a fierce tribute to the full spectrum of femininity.

RIPE BODY premiered at the great acclaim at Roskilde Festival 2024 in the Art & Activism category, with a large light show and live techno as accompaniment. Later on this work has been developed for a multitude of spaces, including black box and out door venues –
both in daylight and after the break of dark.

Choreographer and performer: Ruth Rebekka Hansen | Composer and live-musician: Lauge Heebøll | Set design and build: Anders Toft Pedersen | Costume design : Benedikte Beate Hansen | Dramaturg: Luna Stage | Touring light design and technician: Brian Cord’homme | Original light-concept: Elke Laleman | Administrator: KOMMA Performance | Productions: Astrid Gravsholt | Co-produced by:  Roskilde Festival, Aaben Dans, Bora Bora , Teater Momentum and Dansehallerne | Funded by: Dansk Skuespillerforbund, William Demant Founda on, Aage og Johanne Louise-Hansens fond | Production of the Visit: JoJo – Oulun Tanssin Keskus | Yhteistyössä: Oulun Teatteri |  Duration approx. 1h 45 min including intermission | Age recommendation 15+