Why are we so hard on our bodies?
Body of Goodbyes goes in search of comfort and love for your body.
Choreographer and dancer Marijke de Vos knows better than anyone else that you only
have one body, and you should take care of it. That’s why she decided to make Body of
Goodbyes with her collective Teddy Shouldn’t Smoke. In it, De Vos and musician Laura
Nygren (Show Pony) ask the question: why aren’t we kinder to our bodies? We all age,
and especially for dancers and other people who work with their bodies, this is sometimes
a difficult realization.
Dancers, as well as top athletes and other artists, usually, barring
Keith Richards, cannot continue to do their work at the same level all their lives, because
sooner or later the body protests. But the same goes for, say, pavers or construction
workers. And even the most boring office job or the most enjoyable hobby often cannot be
kept up until you are 90. Body of Goodbyes links this theme to today’s performance culture:
we always want more and better, but when and how does this come at the expense of our
bodies?
In this performance, through the combination of dance , live music and scenography, you
will be completely immersed in another world: that of the body, and how to deal with it.
Body of Goodbyes takes you on a journey from a difficult attitude with your body, full of
conflict, to acceptance and caring. A warm bath with a tough message: be kind to yourself,
before it’s too late.
CREDITS:
Concept and choreography: Marijke de Vos
Composition: Laura Nygren (Show Pony)
Performers: Laura Nygren, Annique Nahumury/ Pé Bies, Marijke de Vos, Shireen
Kanouni/ Fay Gurbutt
Scenography- and costume design: Terror Kittens by Annique Nahumury
Set design: Matthijs Felix
Light design: Edo Stolk
Business management: Hedi Legerstee
Production: Chabelle van der Pauw
Coaching: Loulou Hameleers
Poster concept & design: Gerben Gerrit
Photography: Mihai Gui
Partners: WORM, Albeda Danscollege
Thanks to: Alina Fejzo, C-Roy Nimako, Daan Doesborgh
Made possible by: Gemeente Dordrecht, Gemeente Rotterdam, Stichting voor
bevordering van Volkskracht, Norma Fonds, Cultuurfonds, Elise Mathilde Fonds
TOUR LIST
26-09-24 Kunstmin, Dordrecht – Try Out
27-09-24 Kunstmin, Dordrecht – PREMIERE
15-02-24 Korzo, Den Haag (tickets coming soon)
Body of Goodbyes has a supporting act consisting of the short performance Interaction /
Inner Action by Barend Elias. This performance was made in the context of the talent
development program Teddy’s Talents.
Interaction / Inner Action
Monday morning rush hour. A busy station and a crowded subway. There is little space
and the blind mows everyone down. Suddenly the subway stops underground… All alarm
bells go off and no one knows what to do. Several people, each with their own disabilities,
struggle through this thin tunnel of chaos. Who has an eye for each other?
Interaction / Inner Action is made possible by Stiching Droom en Daad.
About Barend Elias
Barend Elias is a dancer and choreographer from Leiden. He is visually and hearing
impaired, but that does not get in his way. Since childhood he has been dancing with
passion. In 2023 he graduated from the PACT+ Dance course at the ROC of Amsterdam.
During and after his training, he has danced in works by Aminata Cairo, ReDisCoverMe,
MAREA and Achterdeberg Productions, among others. He recently began training and
residency with dance company Misiconi. In his work, Barend aims to create space for
himself and other artists with disabilities to create and perform professional performing
arts. Barend strives for a place for everyone in the art world.