Sindri Runudde 2023

“Sälskap” family show – on longing to be a seal

What is companionship and how does one become sociable? Is sociability a matter of how we communicate with our surroundings and each other? And how would it work if we were all seals?

The performance Sälskap (which is a Swedish play on words between “Säl”, meaning seal, and “Sällskap”, meaning companionship, and literally translates as Company of Seals) is inspired by the seal-human Selkie – an oceanic myth about a creature that is half seal, half human. With this fictional figure at the heart of the story, two dancers meet in a fantasy world where the physical body is affected both by homesickness and wanderlust.

Sälskap is a children’s performance for adults that conveys the utmost seriousness for the little ones. In a stage room filled with hand-blown glass beads, sequins and fake fur, the performance toys with the idea of being someone or something else. Maybe a seal?

To the sounds of clicking keyboards, selkies and digital letters are sent to our inner seal. Whiskerless, we step into a magical soundscape which oscillates between imaginary and reality.

Sälskap is a sensory immersion for all ages – an underwater world on dry land, where the audience can see, hear, and feel the dance.