When the Bleeding Stops

When the Bleeding Stops is a performance work by Lovísa Ósk Gunnarsdóttir. In this work Lovísa addresses the silence and taboo that seems to engulf menopause in Western society, as well as her personal experience of ageing as a dancer. After suffering an injury five years ago, Lovísa was forced to reconsider her relationship with dance and the body. This process opened her eyes to the silence around menopause and her own lack of knowledge on the subject. She began researching and posted an open invitation online where she invited menopausal people to participate in her project. Before she knew it, she was working with many women from across Icelandic society. When the Bleeding Stops invites the audience into a world of vulnerability, shame, empathy and humour. The work transports us into the privacy of the participants homes, and dives deep into the many layers of the female experience associated with menopause and invites us to laugh, cry and celebrate with these women.

2021, 45 min, in English

concept, choreography and text: Lovísa Ósk Gunnarsdóttir; LIGHT AND SOUND DESIGN: Brett Smith; VIDEO DESIGN: Lovísa Ósk Gunnarsdóttir and Brett Smith; Performers: Lovísa Ósk Gunnarsdóttir, Ólöf Ingólfsdóttir, Kristjana Stefánsdóttir; Performers from Slovenia: Sabina Strauss Sopa, Teja Bitenc, Karmen Kogoj ogris, Jasmina Križaj; THANKS TO: SIgrún Ólafsdóttir, Egill Ingibergsson, Alexander Graham Roberts, Brogan Davison, Rebekka Ingimundardóttir, Valdimar Jóhannsson; PRODUCER: StepTurnMove - Wim Casier; Organisation and production: City of Women, Zavod En–Knap; Supported by; Ministry of Culture, Municipality of Ljubljana, Perform Europe.

This presentation is happening with the support of Perform Europe as part of the project When the Bleeding Stops.

Perform Europe, supported by the European Union, is a funding scheme for the European performing arts sector. It facilitates international networking and supports inclusive, diverse, and eco-friendly touring projects across the 40 Creative Europe countries. Perform Europe emphases practices rooted in sustainability and inclusivity, aiming to transform the performing arts sector and ensure a balanced distribution across the continent.

Perform Europe is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union and implemented by a consortium of six organisations: IETM -International network for contemporary performing arts, European Festivals Association (EFA), Circostrada, European Dance Development Network, Pearle * - Live Performance Europe and IDEA Consult.