Cow

We all have our own ideas of what a cow is – and we’re all wrong.

COW pulls you along on a high-speed journey that leaves you breathless. Alexander Ekman‘s choreography is filled with absurd comedy and satire, yet it is also moving, challenging the audience’s perception of themselves and society.

This surprising contemporary dance piece rolls 12 scenes onto the stage in just 90 minutes. The movement language draws references from neoclassical ballet and Stravinsky’s legendary The Rite of Spring. At the heart of it all is a cow: COW.

COW features recorded music by Ekman’s signature composer, Mikael Karlsson. The costumes of the production are by the Danish Fashion designer Henrik Vibskov. The Design Museum, while hosting an exhibition of Vibskov’s work, described him as the pioneer of contemporary fashion and likened him to Gyro Gearloose, the unorthodox inventor of the Donald Duck comics. This helps explain why his imaginative visual approach is a perfect match for Ekman’s absurd productions.

Before creating a new piece, I always ask myself the most important question: why do we need this work?

When it premiered at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet in 2020, COW was met with a rapturous reception. The production, which has been described as an aesthetic fireworks display, makes its highly anticipated return in autumn 2025.

Swan Lake by Alexander Ekman Shift | Cacti by Alexander Ekman Sciamachy by Finnish National Opera and Ballet Play by Alexander Ekman Midsummer Night’s Dream by Alexander Ekman Lonesome George by Finnish National Opera and Ballet