Info
Created by: Tanja Andersson & Stefan Ostojić
Country: Sweden/Serbia
Age: 10 years
Duration: 40 minutes
Tillie the Terrible
A family performance weaving together contemporary dance, clown, physical theatre, acrobatics and live music in the story about the historical cycling world campion Matilda ”Tillie the Terrible Swede” Anderson.
At the end of the 19th century, Matilda ”Tillie” Andersson, emigrates from Skåne in the south of Sweden to Chicago. She gets a job as a seamstress and starts dreaming of getting her own bicycle. When she finally manages to buy a bicycle, after years of saving up money, it doesn’t take long until she can title herself multiple world champion. In the years to come, she will become known as ”Tillie the Terrible Swede” due to her invincibility. In 1902, after seven years, her career ends abruptly as women are banned from competing in bicycling as it’s by then considered immoral, dangerous, and insanitary.
Using the bicycle in general and Tillies story in particular, the ensemble has created a warm, wordless and humorous performance for the whole family. In this story of Tillie it’s the sherif, the bicycle diva and the doctor who stands in the way of her big goal in life – to bicycle fast.
Trailer
About the performance
Direction Karin Bergstrand
Actor and clown Stefan Ostojić
Dancer and choreographer Tanja Andersson
Percussion Maria Dahlin
Brass Per Elofsson
Co-production Slip of the Lip and Scen46
Press photographer Jim de Block
Cinematographer Emiliano Sacripanti // Guest Platform
Photographer Alvar Spinosa
Visual consultation Sara Axelsson
Collaboration Robin/Llama Lloyd
With support from Göteborgs Stad, Västra Götalandsregionen and Culture Moves Europe. Residence through ExPro Stage, Oceanen Kulturhus and Moskosel Creative Lab // Northern Sustainable Futures.
About the artists
Tanja Andersson is a contemporary dance artist from Umeå/Sápmi, currently based in Gothenburg at the collective Scen46. Tanja works interdisciplinary with actors, musicians, cinematographers and sound artists. She has created several works connected to Sami and tornedalsk practices and philosophies. Has recently started working with clown techniques and acrobatics/circus – and creating works for young audiences, most recently with the performance Tillie the Terrible that premiered in September 2024. Stefan graduated from the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad 2017. Since then, he has performed in many national theatres in Serbia and all around Europe with his solo clown show Lala. Since 2024 he is doing bicycle tours through small villages with the biggest tour being the Circus Wolke tour he did, together with Tanja Andersson, from Vienna to Kikinga, Serbia. He has been awarded many rewards for his work in clown and puppetry.