Street dancer Olivia Mitterhuemer | © Tourismus Salzburg GmbH

Let´s (Street-) Dance: Olivia Mitterhuemer

Hip-hop and street dance in the City of Mozart? Yes, they go together - and wonderfully to that! With Flavourama, Olivia Mitterhuemer not only established and expanded the club and street dance scene in Salzburg in 2009, but also launched one of the biggest street dance battles in Europe. We talked to her about her passion for dance, her commitment to the street dance scene and the most beautiful dance spot in town.

Dear Olivia, when and how did you discover your passion for dance?

I was about 13 at the time. I was lucky enough to have found a fabulous group – a crew. When I was 16, I started to travel around Europe with my crew and participate in street dance battles. That was an exciting and inspiring community for me. When I was 18, I founded Flavourama with two of my colleagues. In retrospect, I'm thinking: good thing we just went ahead and did it. Today, 15 years later, Flavourama is one of the biggest street dance festivals in Europe. I still finished school, went to University and always kept dancing on the side. At some point it became clear that I would start my own business and devote myself entirely to dance. Today I work full-time as a choreographer, dancer, event coordinator and artistic director. I am also the founder and co-director of Potpourri Dance – a dance collective and the umbrella organisation for all our activities.

Street dance – where does it actually come from?

Street and club dance originated in America. There are a lot of independent dance styles that belong to it – from popping, locking and breaking to hip-hop and house. I got hooked on it as a teenager and quickly got deeply involved in the whole scene.

Why Hip-Hop and House Dance?

As a young girl, after my tap dance experience, I just wanted to try something new. I was introduced to hip-hop and house dance through a dance studio. Hip-hop originated in the streets, house in the clubs in America. Both were founded and shaped by marginalised groups, especially the black and queer community. In the early days, it was a protest against the system in America, a protest against the discrimination of these groups, which unfortunately still takes place today. In hip-hop, a lot is tied to the music. Dance lives from music. That fascinated me straight away. And also that there is such a sense of community. You go to the battles and realise how nice it is that people share this passion for an art form and use their bodies to express themselves.

How does street and club dance work in a classical place like Salzburg?

It works very well now. It's a very small scene, a niche culture, but there are a few spots and a few people who have done a lot of groundwork and continue to do so, so that the community thrives. Through events like Flavourama, but also concerts, jams and performances, there is a structure that has developed. There is also a dance school that focuses on these styles. In the meantime, street and club dance also mix with the world of contemporary dance, for example in the ARGE Kultur or as part of the Sommerszene. Today, you can make a good living as a dancer or choreographer in Salzburg. People are becoming more and more open to this subculture.

How did you come up with the idea of bringing a street dance battle to Salzburg?

Back then, as a 16-year-old girl, I attended my weekly classes and trained for the championships. But we quickly realised that you have to depend on international events to get ahead. And we said, if we don't have that here, we have to bring it here. We were also inspired by our colleagues in Salzburg who organised breakdancing. They were kind of pioneers for the scene. We started at the Lehrbauhof in Salzburg, with about 200 visitors, and grew in three-year steps. Flavourama is now a nine-day festival. It's nice to see how it has developed. Although we still have to fight with clichés - for example that it's only for young people. But our target group now ranges from toddlers to 70-year-olds!

Can you imagine collaborating with the Festival at some point?

Personally, I already work with the Easter Festival and have also been involved in jung & jede*r, the youth programme of the Salzburg Festival. A cooperation between Flavourama and the Festival would definitely be exciting. We already work together with some cultural institutions, for example with the Mozarteum, we go into public spaces a lot and we deliberately choose prestigious venues. That way we want to bring the subculture into other areas and overcome some of the reservations on both sides.

WHAT MAKES SALZBURG UNIQUE FOR YOU?

On the one hand, the beautiful secret places that Salzburg has to offer, as well as the closeness to nature with the city mountains. On the other hand, there's the beautiful old town, which has so much going for it and also provides space for new things to develop.

INSIDER TIPS

As a fan of modern dance, where can you find like-minded people in this UNESCO town?

The first place that comes to mind is the Streetdance-Center Salzburg. It's a dance institution that focusses on hip-hop and similar styles. I started there myself when I was 13. From time to time there are also music parties or jam sessions in Salzburg. A real insider tip in this context is the Club Analog at Jetlag. It's like an intimate lounge party with DJs playing hip-hop, funk and soul. Also, I can only recommend going to dance festivals. That's mainly contemporary dance, but there are now also lots of productions that deal with hip-hop and club dance. And of course Flavourama. Dance is very abstract, but it's a very beautiful culture and art form. So: go there and just see how you like it.

What is the most beautiful dance spot in Salzburg?

That's a difficult question. But I would say the area in front of the Unipark in Nonntal. I like to practice there in the summer with house dancers. It's a beautiful place, you have space to move around and at the same time you can look up at the fortress and the Nonnberg monastery.