Memory of a shape

Memory of a shape

Choreographer: Regina van Berkel
Music: Theo Verbey, Fractal Symphony, Philharmonish Staatsorchester Mainz o.l.v Catherine Rüwardt


Memory of a shape 

Choreographer: Regina van Berkel
Music: Theo Verbey, Fractal Symphony, Philharmonish Staatsorchester Mainz o.l.v Catherine Rüwardt 

Costume: Regina van Berkel

Scenery and lighting design: Dietmar Janeck
Costume implementation: Merlijn Koopman 
Coach: Marlena Wolfe 
Duration: 36 minutes 
Premiered: 7 march 2009, Ballet Mainz, Mainz
Introdans premiered: 17 February 2017, Arnhem 


Memory of a Shape, Ballet Mainz

In a lovely Friday evening, Introdans premiered this wonderful work : A story of a moulting bird and the beer promoters.

In general, It's a clean precise work, based on classical ballet technique and the variations of it. We could still see the high legs, beautiful ballet bodies, dancers were presenting academically good clean techniques with beautiful music. How about the other things?

The whole story happened in a white clean space with some pieces of square hanging all around, the very first thing that's moving, a couple danced in the middle of a stage, the girl looked like haven't taken any point class for months, unstable at the point and having a difficult time on lifting her legs.


Something was just missing, compare with the original version of Ballet Mainz, this version is just appeared to be a bit lacking of power in the limbs and clear intention in the movements. It might be a tough piece for them to do, because this somewhere between doing or not doing movement quality is hanging in the whole piece, blurry. Especially in the group work, it could be that dancers were still running after the steps and trying to be on beat, or they just didn't have enough energy to build up this work as in one flow. The connection between one dancer to another was almost all shaped up.

Beside the looking confused movements works in group, there were some surprisingly good solo in this piece, male dancers in this picked finally not a women-lifting machine any more but got some time to show their own qualities.

I personally find the costume choices is not very comforting. First this girl in the opening duet in a white tassel dress looking like bird moulting, losing her feathers. The others who claim out from the side of the stage were just wearing black t-shirt, jeans and the girls in a shiny blue/yellow skirt, under the yellow lights, I couldn't think about anything else but a beer promoter.

In a bigger picture, this piece has quite some beautiful moments at those unexpected transitions when a lot of duets in the space form into a group. Movements was not only focusing on classical ballet straight alignments but also combining curves lines movements and using more the space close to the floor. Lovely job. During this 36 minutes something did develop and build up though was not clear, but it stopped at somewhere about the end, felt like an unfinished work. I would say I felt a bit disappointed, the whole piece with the music has  no obvious dynamics changes, not too boring but not exciting.

Review: The Feeling Of Going, by Ben Wright

- The most beautiful of clichés

I went to see “The feeling of Going” in Sweden at “Skånes dansteater” in Malmö the 27^th of October, 2013. It was a dance theater performance choreographed by Ben Wright, danced by the dance ensamble of Skånes dansteater and music by Jonsí, played by the Malmö ophera orchestra. With very few expectations I was taken on a real dream journey. The story like many stories is told through a dream, like for example. “the Nutcracker” or “Alice in wonderland”, And it also had its own dreamy fairytale charm.

The Story begins with a man going to sleep. After falling into the night and past the border of reality and into his dream he wakes up to find himself in a small wooden house. Most of the performance takes place in a birch forrest. The leaves of the fall are falling, trolls and elves lurks around the trees, giants and all kinds of figures wanderes throughout the forest, dancing and singing. The scenography and costumes where beautiful and convincing, obsviously a lot of money and effort was put into this. Special effects like snowing in the birch forrest was made possible with a screen or projector between the audience and the stage. The music in the performance was made by the artist known as Jonsí. Very warm, rythmic, melangolic songs played by the orchestra that where sometimes with acompanied with singing from the stage artists.

The performance really gives you a warm feeling and always suprises you with new brilliant ideas. The performance is not moving very much with any red thread so it is difficult to get any idea of any deeper meaning of the performance except for the visuall entertainment. The enviroment could be a simple theme because of the performances choosen setting, there could also be some biblical references, for example; The two main characters could remind you of Adam and Eve.

I chose to enjoy it for the adventure it was and for its brilliance in being simple.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ1yAq0WuPQ

Erik Wilken, DM1

OOOOOOO - Giulio D’Anna

Moving Futures

OOOOOOO - Giulio D’Anna

By Ischa Statie

Arnhem 16-2-2017

OOOOOOO, created by Giulio D’Anna, with Agnese Rosati as creative producer and direction assistant, is described as a post-modern musical. The performers, Lana Čoporda, Martina Gabrielli, Tiana Hemlock-Yensen, Pavlos Marios Ktoridis, Maciej Sado and Isadora Tomasi share their most private memories about broken relations and damaged intimacy. They tell about love and hate, lovers and friends, frustrations and forgiveness.

They talk to you.

They actually talk to you.

It makes you feel special.

When I went to the Stadschouwburg of Arnhem the 9^th of February, with my dear friends, I expected something else. Moving futures. Contemporary dance. A lot of floor work, pedestrian-ness, and naked people. Two of them came true but not in a way I expected. They came true not because of performers trying to perform but they were just the human beings that they are. That they were themselves, was emphasised because the performers where in their underwear the entire show. The beauty of that was for me that they weren't the perfect bodies as I am used to see in a 'dance' performance.

They projected statements on the back wall Such as 4 of us have dealt with sexual abuse. There was this point where they stood in one line and when the statement was showed, the people would step forward. Sometimes less than the people then was shown stepped forward. This made me curious. Who are those people and why didn't they step out?

The projections were also used to introduce a new part of the show. That made it more playful. 

The questions raised during the performance, are questions that occupy me too. Is it possible to love two people at the same time? for example. I think everyone has questions about love. There are no right answers to the questions asked and no end to them. For me even the striped black white floor was a metaphor for that.

It is a tricky thing, a performance about love.  It can so easily fall into a cliché. It is also easy to address an audience with this subject. They will think of their own love (hi)story. The fact that they told their so personal story's make this even more intimate (Voice coach: Marcello Zempt). It feels like you are having a private conversation with these people. 

It liked it very much that they showed the emotions in relation to love in the body. From loving to slapping and hurting each other. Even literally speaking they caught a falling person. As you would catch someone you love.

The transitions from one to the other discipline were quite good. Although I did not always understand why they had to sing. Of course, singing is letting your heart talk, and that in combination with the theme it was clear. But during the show it sometimes did not really made sense to me. Also, and the musician in me is screaming to say this, the songs were often a bit boring. They sometimes a bit strange to listen to. Could be because it was pitchy, but also with the way the music was used. It was maybe a bit too musical-ish for me. But that could also be a matter of taste.

All in all, a performance with strong texts, nice light design (Grace Morales Suso), and great performers. A performance that you will keep thinking of from time to time.

Giulio D’Anna - O O O O O O O O (trailer) from Dansateliers on Vimeo.

Co-production: Stichting Gillen/Giulio D’Anna, Rete Anticorpi XL (CollaborAction 2013 price), Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten, Dansateliers, Versiliadanza.In collaboration with: Civitanova Casa della Danza (project from  Civitanova Danza and AMAT) Powered by: Fonds Podiumkunsten, Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst.