Compassion Stories: Exploring emotion and energy in children's theater

October 27, 2023

Jon Filip Fahlstrøm and Jens Jeffry Trinidad spent their fall break doing research at AKS for their next performance - "We took inspiration from the concept of Mosh Pits, a phenomenon most often encountered at metal concerts," they say about the process.

The performance Compassion Stories will premiere at Kloden teater this spring. We talked to Trinidad about how they went about working with 3rd and 4th graders on emotions, body and energy.

Can you tell us a bit about the performance Compassion Stories?

- Compassion Stories is a collaboration between Jon Filip Fahlstrøm and me. It is an interactive dance performance, where we have landed on the target group 3rd - 5th grade. The performance aims to activate energy and emotions. Through a hybrid form between performance and workshop, the children are led through various physical tasks. These reflect some of the material we use in the performance. 

How have you worked with research for the performance during the fall break?

- We have taken inspiration from the concept of Mosh Pits, a phenomenon most often encountered at metal concerts. Here, the audience can release a huge amount of power and aggression within a framework of cultural consensus. Together with both school classes and AKS, we have modified this concept so that children can experience the same expression, but within a framework that is safe for this target group. We have tested music and what type of music activates what for this age group. When it comes to the workshop element, it has been very important to meet with classes to find a form that harmonizes with the performance. We have been lucky enough to have Loan Ha as a guiding eye, as well as a lot of good input from Kloden teater. 

How did you go about working with children on emotions?

- Our starting point was the body and energy, without conceptualizing too much. We wanted to let the children get started by being physically active and involved, and then feel how this resonated with what they would experience through the performance.