VOID
2010
What: multidisciplinary dance performance
VOID brings five distinctly individual dancers/choreographers via music, improvisation and live electronics in contact with each other and the audience. Time, space, different personalities and styles of the dancers create touching, playful and sometimes even confrontational encounters. For the first time Michael Schumacher (VS), Anouk van Dijk (NL), Kenzo Kusuda (JP), David Zambrano (VE) en Simone Gomis (SN) can be seen in one performance. VOID is an intimate impression of our society and how we interact with it.
VOID is a multidisciplinary dance performance of about fifty minutes, with the themes of ‘identity’, ‘influence’ and ‘cultural differences’. The show was performed by a physically present dancer and four “virtual” dancers, who were shown on pre-recorded video clips. These were projected on four screens. Both audience and the dancers were physically present on stage and could move between screens. The physically present dancer and the audience partially controlled the timing and sequence of video clips and music through motion sensors. It was a game of interaction and influence between the dancer, his digital opponents and the public.
The four screens were connected to the four virtual dancers. Each dancer had a “home screen”, but was also able to move the other three screens. The dancers portray the influences of the environment on our development, how we think, feel and act. The behavior of a person is influenced by many factors. Besides the physical, geographical, social, physical and psychological factors, spiritual and cultural factors are the most important influences in our lives. Cultural factors also co-determine how we move. “How do we deal with the influence of others on us” could also be read as “how do we deal with the impact our culture exerts on us?”
Because the video clips were directed real-time, a certain degree of freedom existed within the scenic structure of the show. The dance, amongst others live performed by the famous Michael Schumacher from America, consisted largely of structured improvisation. The music, by composer Katerina Pejoska, also had an improvised element. The virtual dancers were Anouk van Dijk (Netherlands), David Zambrano (Venezuela), Kenzo Kusuda (Japan) and Simone Gomis (Senegal). They represented four different movement styles and cultures.
VOID is compiled by a team of young, but very experienced artists with an international background, including from the Netherlands, the United States, Venezuela, Japan, Senegal, Germany, Macedonia and Spain. This is a deliberate choice. The composition of the team is in line with the theme of the performance, given the earlier question “how do we deal with the impact our culture exerts on us?”
The team wanted VOID to show that a “technical” performance can feel very sensual, personal, warm and human and it worked. For the first time, choreographers and dancers with very different cultures and dance styles were brought together in a presentation to reach this aim. This created a unique combination of different cultures, music and dance styles and disciplines in a performance.
The goal of the project is to promote intercultural dialogue through creating and performing a multi-disciplinary, interactive dance performance in which the central themes of “identity”, “cultural differences” and “influence”. The project uses artistic, innovative means to look at current issues about identity and cultural influence in a different way. The creation process took place within a team of international artists with diverse cultural backgrounds, which contributes to the promotion of an intercultural dialogue on the subjects concerned.
Project initiator/idea/concept/project coordination Katerina Pejoska
Concept development/coordination dance and video: Sabine Linz
This project is supported by: Gemeente Utrecht, Provincie Utrecht, Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds and the Melkweg
Project by: Zoey Foundation for Arts and Culture in cooperation with DansConnectie
Dance/performance: Michael Schumacher, Anouk van Dijk, David Zambrano, Kenzo Kusuda and Simone Gomis
Viola: Miquel Jordan Saun
Choreography/video/concept: Sabine Linz
Music/concept: Katerina Pejoska
Camera: Roger Muskee (Schwung Visueel)
Interactive video software and system design: Roel van Doorn
Live electronics and system design: Laurens van der Wee
Production: Susanne Grunewald
Production assistants: Iris Noach en Ruby van der Peijl
Decor: Marc Visser
Design poster/flyer: Vera van Wolferen
click here to check out our VOID poster and flyer
click here to read more about the people who made VOID possible
.