Moving futures, Have I been here Before?

Moving Futures festival 2017

Have I been here before

Concept and choreography: Marie Goeminne (and dancers)

Performance: Maaike van de Westeringh, Anne-May de Lijser & Zoé Leduc

Sound design:Alberto Novello

Production: Dansmakers Amsterdam & Artist Collective Kudde

Ligh:t images Eva Gjaltema

seen on 10^th of February 2017, Theater aan de Rijn, Arnehm

‘Life and death go hand in hand, just as life and death are a circle which is naturally repeating itself’

The stage is separated in two  parts by a projection of waving leaves and tiny branches, and a white stage part. One dancer is laying in the right back top of the projected part, while the other two dancers, one standing and the other one lying, are placed on the white part of the stage.  A very strong image is burned upon the audience’ retina when the two dancers perform the aspect of ‘birth’ on the white plane of the stage.  They manage to make the complicated and physical hard work seem effortless and very floating, as if it was natural to be born as a full grown human body.
As the piece develops further, the tree female dancers work towards a high level of energy, which is realized by a circle formed of the performers bodies. They move through space held by their hands and pump up the level of physicality, power, energy and speed, by moving as a circle. After this climax a new chapter seems to start, the chapter of death perhaps? The performance ends with a circle grounding  on the floor. continuously rolling, the tree females seem to refer to birth again, as in the beginning of the performance. From the beginning on, the audience is pulled into their reality, a reality where death is an aspect which can be as much alive as life itself.

The movement language the dancers perform is very much based on the floor, although it’s not the so called contemporary  ‘floorwork’ technique they use. They replace their seemingly empty bodies fluently and rolling in space. One moment you see the tree dancers moving together, but within the next moments they’re all moving as an individual again. These transitions tend to happen so natural and organic that it’s barely noticeable.
The soundscape compliments the whole setting  very well and blends into the whole performance, it’s a tinge of storm, rustling wind and artificial sounds. You seem to forget that it’s present and just take it as a daily, natural appurtenance, just as you tend to forget the chirping of birds during spring and summer.

As a spectator I got completely engaged in the energy which was radiating through the theatre, not in the sense of willing to participate in a kind of very upbeat energy. But in the sense of  being focused only on the piece and what the dancers are performing and having the sense of experiencing the same as what the dancers are experiencing on stage.
Marie Goeminne succeeded very well in pulling the audience into the performance and creating a particular, rather lonely and soft atmosphere.
‘Have I been here before’ shows  the cycle of life and death in a very accessible way combined with a radiating energy and dancers who seem to understand the piece and subject very well.
when leaving the room, you after all suddenly realize again that it was just a created reality and part of night of performances. 

Trailer 'Have I been here before'

Nathalie Vermeiren