Residencies

• 24.04 > 29.04.2023

Presented at Kunstenfestivaldesarts.

A tro­pi­cal jun­gle based on a his­to­ri­cal decor occu­pies the sta­ge of Théâtre Royal des Galeries. The pain­ted palm trees evo­ke the exo­tic fan­ta­sies of ano­ther time. In this spec­ta­cu­lar sce­no­grap­hy, a cho­re­o­grap­hy emer­ges mixing rapid move­ments and uncon­ven­ti­o­nal rhythms dan­ced by per­for­mers wea­ring mir­ror-clad cos­tu­mes. Choreographer Amanda Piña cre­a­tes an exu­be­rant ritu­al con­cei­ved as a séan­ce through which dan­cers evo­ke their spi­ri­tu­al ancestors and come into con­ver­sa­ti­on with the audience’s gaze. Their pre­sen­ce opens a spa­ce for invo­ca­ti­on, exor­cism, and celebration. 

For this pre­sen­ta­ti­on, the Kunstenfestivaldesarts is wel­co­med for the very first time in the magi­cal hall of Théâtre Royal des Galeries. In this Italian-sty­le the­a­tre, we find evi­den­ce of for­mer splen­dour; red and gold vel­vet, a monu­men­tal chan­de­lier, and the cei­ling fres­co by René Magritte. This Art Deco tem­ple recalls an era when Black and artists of colour had to don exo­tic cos­tu­mes befo­re being given a pla­ce on sta­ge. Amanda Piña and her team rein­stall the­se for­got­ten and invi­si­b­led artists in the European canon with an eve­ning of dan­ce not to be missed!

© Nurith Wagner-Strauss/Wiener Festwochen