The Rotterdam dancer and maker Manouk Schrauwen is working these weeks at HUIS Conny Janssen Danst on a research project ‘A Land and Us’, in which she creates her own world with six very different dancers. In this world it’s all about encounters.
Interested to see the results of the studio time that the dancers and Manouk spend together? Manouk likes to share it with a curious audience during an informal presentation meeting in the studio on Tuesday, July 9 at 7 p.m. in HUIS Conny Janssen Danst.
Book your spot here by email (limited capacity, provide your name, email address and telephone number no later than July 7, 2024)
We asked Manouk a few questions about this special residence:
What is your plan or research question for this residency at HUIS Conny Janssen Danst?
Manouk: “This residency focuses on encounters between different types of dancers. What can dancers with and without disabilities learn from each other and what shared language can they develop in a short time? We also investigate how we can create a shared space full of creativity, openness and the search for possibilities. My goal is to guide the dancers to a state in which their senses are as open as possible. Contact with each other is crucial, as is contact with their own body and the shared movement language.”
Who are the dancers you work with? What is it like working with them?
Manouk: “Dancers Pedro Ricardo Henry, Carmine Vigliotti and Sophie Tukker represent Conny Janssen Danst in this project. I bring Menno, Enya, Jordy and Sunai with me. It is wonderful to see how quickly the group comes together. There is so much openness and respect for each other and the process. Menno and Pedro worked together on the first day. Sophie noticed that they were silently exploring the body together. Within 10 minutes a duet emerged between the two, without one word had been spoken out loud.”
We have to keep on moving, only then encounters and changes can happen. Manouk Schrauwen
What is it like to work in the studios at HUIS Conny Janssen Danst?
Manouk: “There is space, curiosity and openness. In bustling Katendrecht, in a house full of people with a passion for what they do, it is an ideal place for creation. It is challenging to create something to share with an audience in such a short amount of time. But because of the trust and openness that HUIS Conny Janssen Danst offers, it becomes a nice challenge and a valuable journey.”
You will present the results of this research on July 9. What do you expect or hope to present?
Manouk: “The working title of this residency is “A Land and Us”, in which we share a world we created. In these days dominated by polarization, we and the audience pay tribute to playfulness, curiosity and love, which drives us to move. We have to keep on moving; only then encounters and changes can happen.
In this utopia, it’s all about contact and connection. The dancers determine the rules and show an inspiring example of what our society can be. They reflect on the reality in which many live with little physical contact. At the end of this process, we share the essence of the encounter with the audience in a short creation.”
Studio presentation A Land and Us
Tuesday July 9, HUIS Conny Janssen Danst
Start: 19.00 uur
Doors open: 18.45 uur
Book your spot At the latest July 7 via mail >>
(Limited space, please register by sending your name, e-mail and phone number)
