Venn by Iris Bouche - Jarne Van Perck DM1

A collages of the movements of Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Damien Jalet

Every year the students of Artesis ( 1 of the 2 Batchelor educations of dance in Belgium) bring a wonderful show what brings all the years of the education together on stage. This year was no exception. Venn gives a closer look to the works off Sidi Larbi and Damien Jalet. It combines the pieces: Foi, In Memoriam, Myth, Babel(words) and Orbo Novo. Whit was broad together by Iris Bouche.

The piece looked like a collages of the works of S. Labri and  D. Jalet.  The 5 pieces where dissect and looked at for any connection that the works bring together: underneath themes, movement what go’s over to the other pieces, a musical connection, how space is divided and go so on. Whit these connections the dancer stared working what makes of a smooth line between the hole piece and dissent make it feel copy pasted. One of the main concept is languages and the struggles of conversation between different languages.

 If you don’t look at the theme the structure would be the main glue what beings the pieces together. Not only is it minimalist decor what flown over from Babel(Words) what are a few metallic cubes. But the movement screams lines and geometric figures. At one point in the performance the dancers moves from floor to jumps in a linear line across the stages, the movements and canon of the dancers give the illusion of a heavy storm on sea what comes to a end when the dancers getting tired by moving so intensely.

The show Doesn’t only present dance. It also present theater. What lighten up the mood between big dance pieces and or more heavy subjects. For a example is there the text about  the human brains what combine whit sign language. What makes it bit softer is because the person who brings the text is a man on high heels and his example brain is a bunches of banana’s. What ties to a later theme in performance.

If you want to see a performance of Sidi Larbi whit his mindset on dance and choreography is this not a piece for you. But if you want a introduction in to the world that Larbi create in all of his pieces and don’t have the time to see every thing of him. Is this a great piece to see. Don’t be afraid because its a school performance because that’s almost not to see. The dancers give it there all and make Venn a show you have to see.


choreographer: Iris Bouche
after works of: Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Damien Jalet
music: Kobe Proesmans
Danced by:students of Artesis, Bachelor of dance.
where: Paleis, Theatherplein, Antwerp

date seen: sunday 17 of April