Dance has always been a fundamental element at Sónar, whether on the dancefloor or on the stage. This year, dancers and choreographers and dancers take centre stage at Sónar by Day and Sónar+D, with a series of shows present dance as a radical medium for exploration, experimentation and narration. Join us for a roundtable featuring some of these performers, as we explore how they’re expanding the limits of choreography, in dialogue with technology and science, as well as club and pop culture.  

The conversation will be moderated by Sabel Gavaldon, Head of Live Programmes at MACBA, and a long-time devotee of dance, known for his curation of the exhibition Elements of Vogue: A Case Study of Radical Performance.

Gabber Eleganza started as an online archive founded by Alberto Guerrini to explore hardcore, rave culture and post-rave aesthetics. It’s now a multidisciplinary project covering DJing, music, fashion, installation art, and of course, dance. Hakke, the furious dance style that emerged from hardcore culture in the Netherlands, has been at the centre of his work from the beginning, as seen in his current project ‘ The Hakke Show’.

Kianí del Valle is a Puerto Rican dancer, choreographer, director, and performance curator. A prolific solo performer and collaborator, over the past decade she's toured her own works and worked with artists ranging from Labrinth and Bad Bunny to Floating Points and Lyra Pramuk. Now director and choreographer of her own KDV PERFORMANCE GROUP, her work seamlessly blends contemporary dance and performance art with various other disciplines, including film, photography, technology, installation art, and pop culture. Her creations delve into a wide range of themes, such as Caribbean ancestry, hauntology, ritual practices, migrational journeys, paranormal experiences and the impact of colonialism in modern societies.

Meritxell de Soto is a Barcelona-based DJ and performance artist, whose multi-genre sets emphasise the physicality of electronic music, sweat-soaked sessions designed to bring FLINTA audiences to the front row. Her performance project Espai Segur explores the concept of ‘safe spaces’ within the club, using her entire body to operate CDJs as part of a choreographed live mix. 

Tianzhao Chen is the mind behind multidisciplinary performance and visual art collective ASIANDOPEBOYS. The scope of his work is all-encompassing - taking in everything from fine art and internet asethetics to traditional Chinese culture and Japanese Butoh dance theatre - and manifests in intense, longform actions that blur the lines between installation and performance, featuring multiple performers and overwhelming visual and sonic themes.