Choreographers/dancers Heather Ware and Hilde Elbers share a deep rooted passion for the outdoors, for nature. They are intrigued by the moment when the power of nature turns from liberating to threatening, when our own insignificance is put to the test and the drive for self survival takes over. This exposure requires us to find our own safety.
Not only in nature but in society as a whole today, the notion of safety seems far from given. How can we create a sense of personal safety? How can we find shelter from the relentless flood of internal and external stimulus?
Departing from this shared topic Heather and Hilde create a solo for one another. Both have long histories as performers, and have moved into creating their own work. Both feel the curiosity to research their creativity further without their own body in the way. These two solos stem from the desire to explore the physicality, performativity, and creative process of the other.
In these solo performances, Heather and Hilde use only what they have on hand: each other, their (dancing) bodies, and the physical space which they inhabit to explore the thin edge of being 'just safe enough'.
The Barren Lands
As the earth moves beneath my feet
fire and ice search for an anchor colliding
in the cathedral of flesh as it all
rises up to meet me
this sensuous sanctuary
burns me into the light
roots the skin, boogies
peace away from creation
I look downwards to the burning flames
with my hands in my pockets I remember
who I am
We are part of nature - nature in the form of instincts and drives lies within us. In The Barren Lands choreographer Hilde Elbers explores how we can find shelter and safety within our own bodies and reclaim its primitive nature. Can we unveil our primary instincts and drives as they live within us, rather then be alienated or paralyzed by them? Can we use their raw energies without being driven by them? A solo balancing on the border of observation, surrender and combat.
A Fine Kind of Madness
A body in conflict searches for balance, for resolution. A paralytic state of fear is somehow made bearable by one's own physical being.
What is needed within a person to move forward when every instinct is screaming to stop?
What if you can't go back, what if you can't climb down? Can we give ourselves over to the beauty of falling apart?
An ongoing fascination with choreographer Heather Ware is the role that risk plays in our lives. Whether it is hanging from a cliff or when you fall in love, we have all experienced that moment when we realize that we can no longer go back. What can our body teach us from the moment we realize that our safety net is gone? And can we practice this? A Fine Kind of Madness is an attempt to find the confidence to pass the edge.
