Efva Lilja

Where Oblivion Hides - A Story About the Making of a Dance Efva Lilja

In Where Oblivion Hides Efva Lilja writes about the making of a choreographic work and about choreography as an artistic practice, a field of research and a way of life. Drawing on the development of the performance A Life as Right as Rain, she recounts a long-term artistic exploration of the functions of memory – how memories are stored in the body, how they influence reaction and action, and how they can be transformed through artistic practice. The book is illustrated with photographs and choreographic scores that open up the process to the reader. Here, the body emerges as our shared home and archive of experience.

Through movement, repetition and reflection, Lilja explores how we recall, interpret and deepen life s experiences – those that become memories to be preserved, distorted or repressed. Choreography becomes a tool for investigating the relationship between the mental and the physical, between the individual and the collective, and for giving form to the psychosocial and political conditions of our time. Focusing on seven dancers, the book portrays a creative process in which dreams, longing and hope fuel a shared striving for meaning and quality of life in a complex contemporary world. From north to south across Sweden, from experimental performance spaces to opera houses and global metropolises. From polar expeditions on the Arctic ice to encounters with kings and presidents. From small-town life to becoming a citizen of the world – dancer, choreographer, activist and champion of an often marginalised art form. Her work fascinates, provokes and engages.

An extraordinary life: in 2026, Efva Lilja celebrates 50 years on stage.