The year is 1994 and the Riksdag has just voted through the law on public compulsory dancing. Every year, all residents in Sweden will be called to the so-called dance gatherings. There you meet in groups of 10 people – carefully selected according to a unique formula created to increase the contact surfaces between the social classes.

Together with specially trained choreographers, you follow an improvisation program designed to promote joy, togetherness, solidarity, playfulness, and trust.

The law on general compulsory dancing is a false memory, a feverish fantasy, a parallel reality, a contradiction, and a hope. The project is an investigation of instrumental politics, meaning-making rituals, ideological hopes, and the power of dance and movement. It is also an exploration of the fragility of our collective memory and the filters and processes through which we interpret our history.

Palle Lindqvist initiated the project, a filmmaker educated in liberal arts at Goldsmiths University in London. Several of his latest projects have revolved around dance, movement, and its political implications. His films have been shown at international festivals and on SVT. He is a member of the film collective Blick.