"How to do things with Romance" is a choreographic project that aims to investigate romance out of a sociological, feminist and cultural historical perspective. The point of departure for defining romance and the romantic is what could be considered an internalized and mainstream idea of romance, strongly influenced by Hollywood films, music and music videos of the western music industry. As a notion, romance holds a spectra of feelings such as passion, affinity, affection, tenderness, empathy, compassion and devotion. But one could argue, that the dominant idea of romance is also shaped by naturalized narcissism promoted by marketing and advertisement, consumerism and individualism as dominant ideologies taken for granted to the brink of made invisible. The way capitalism connects responsibility to ownership has also marked romance. This dance by many is an attempt to propose, perform and speculate in other interpretations of the romantic.

Thinking of romance as portrayed in movies, music videos, TV-series, it appears as having not so much to do with content, as with a use of effects to create or reinforce stereotypes, norms and produce specific desires and dreams, deeply grounded in consumerism and the idea of ownership. The piece rests on an interest in what could happen if the positive properties of romance were reinterpreted and used to other ends. Also, how does romance relate to love, or to a less exclusive understanding of the notions such as this one: ”Courtly love does not love the self any more than it loves the whole universe in a celestial or religious way” (Bodies without organs, A thousand Plateaus by Gilles Deleuze och Félix Guattari, 1987). This dance is a throw as in the etymological meaning of dance and ballet – ballein – ballistics – to throw as if to hit. It is a wilful throw off balance to lose the meaning of romance and perform it anew. Welcome to something like a riot grrrl influenced punk ballet.