21st Cyprus Contemporary Dance Festival - Netherlands

Five women represent a perfect image of different characters and recognizable situations. You think you recognize these women, but in the pursuit of absolute perfection of their own ideals, they get entangled in a distorted reality. These individual, powerful dancers are challenged to explore the boundaries of their own physicality, of the formal ideal of visual feasibility in different scenes. An aesthetic world soon makes way for an absurd and disillusioned tableau of battle, pain and conflict. [N]EMO BODY invites us to reconsider our everyday perception and unravel the truth within.

The central point of attention in the practice of choreographer Joost Vrouenraets is that of the virtuosic moving human body. Serendipity, the ability to make fortunate discoveries accidental, plays an immense role in his work and transpires seamlessly into his conceptualization of questions and research. Dance for him is a spiritual vision transformed into a physical from. What is seen, is the unconditioned nature of reality. The perfectly pure essence. He has always been searching for the expressive body on stage; the body that reflects emotions, the body that can be seen as a ‘normal’ human being. As a performer himself and seeing his work being performed by others, he discovered that the attempt of a neutral mind set creates a generator for maximum expression.

However, his work is not purely conceptual as he consciously welcomes the wistful feeling of a transient beauty. When he succeeds in approaching art, science and aesthetics with open-mindedness and inquisitiveness, he feels that he increases his expression, giving space to the audience for understanding and meaning.

GOTRA

GOTRA is an international dance company in the evolving art form of modern dance. GOTRA's creativity crosses artistic boundaries and embraces every artistic genre. Ιts work ranges from new theatrical programmes and commissioned art to innovative engagement opportunities for all types of audiences. The name GOTRA means Clan in Sanskrit. It is believed that the members of a particular GOTRA possess a common essence, the unconditioned nature of all reality and a shared spiritual vision.

Dance group: GOTRA
Performance title: [N]EMO BODY

Choreography and concept: Joost Vrouenraets
Dramaturgy: Anne-Marije van de Bersselaar
Dancers: Maïté Guérin, Francesca Imoda, Roshanak Morrowatian, Marika Meoli and Marcia Liu.
Understudyς: Asuka J. Riedl, Francesca Piergiacomo
Music: Loran Delforge
Costume Design: Verena Klein
Light and scenography: Joost Vrouenraets en Marc Claessens
Graphic design: Ivo Straetmans
Photography: David Peskens

Performance duration: 1 hour and 17 minutes and no interval.

Organisers: Ministry of Education and Culture – Rialto Theatre