Musical about dreams, longings and love

If the walls of the Worker could talk, we would have heard stories of love and dreams. About boxing matches, flea circuses and dance parties. For over a hundred years, life in the Labor Association’s banquet hall has been an important part of the city’s pulse. Here people have met to fall in love or fight. To dance and dream. To notice the rhythm of the city.

The «marathon dance» is the story of a dance competition during the depression in the thirties. Here, the couple who stays upright the longest can win money or perhaps be discovered by a talent scout from Hollywood. The dream of wealth and fame pushes the participants further and further towards the edge of what is humanly worthy. It is a story about the price of human dignity and freedom in a cynical world in economic decline. In the Marathon Dance , we see the start of what has developed into today’s reality TV. Real people’s dreams and hopes are shattered or come true while we watch.

The action takes place in a complete staging with dance floor, live music from your own band, mirror ball and palm garden bar. The audience sitting around the dance floor gets to experience what happens both in front of and behind the stage at the dance competition. The dancers’ carefully measured breaks – which is the only time they have for private chores – also take place in front of the audience.

We invite you to a time travel to the childhood of jazz. Ole Jørn Myklebust has created new arrangements for a number of jazz standard songs performed by a five-member large band in the performance. The ensemble with, among others, Jenny Langlo – who comes directly from the role of Cosette in Les Miserables at the Folketeatret in Oslo, Ina Breivik – known to many as «Margot», Sara Fellman and actors from Teatret Vårt will dance with 10 dance couples from Ålesund and Molde.

It will premiere on Høstscena in 2018 where Arbeideren will be a living turning point for the festival in the center of Ålesund.

** NB! The marathon dance and use of festival passes: festival passes only give admission to the Marathon dance performance on Friday 28.9, and can not be used to reserve a place for the premiere performance on Wednesday 26.9. Remember to pick up a ticket at Børsen to secure admission.