Everything brings us back to the body

A remarkable duet between a dancer and an eighteen-kilogram copper plate

‘Everything brings us back to the body’, wrote the philosopher Achille Mbembe in response to the first corona lockdowns. He emphasised the vulnerability of the body and how all living beings are connected through their physical existence. That same year, Ehsan Hemat began making this performance, in which he dances with an eighteen-kilogram copper plate.

Hemat also draws inspiration from the 13th-century Persian poet Rumi and the Gaia theory, which views the earth as a self-regulating system where all living and non-living elements work together. Hemat uses these ideas to play with reflection and echo. The result is a performance in which human and object dance together as equals, but also a story about exploitation, environmental damage, and the right to breathe freely.

Watch the trailer here

choreography & performance Ehsan Hemat sound design Roeland Luyten dramaturgy Yasen Vasilev scenography Erki De Vries vocal coach Selma Banich light design Kurt Lefevre technique Lucas Van de Voorde dramaturgical advice Hildegard De Vuyst production Julie De Clercq / 2nd to the right co-production Monty, C-TAKT, MC93, DansiT developed at laGeste with the support of de Vlaamse Gemeenschap, STUK, nona Sales StepTurnMove

CALL BODY OF WORK — RE:COLLECT

STUK IS LOOKING FOR YOUR DANCE MEMORIES!

Do you keep your tickets from memorable dance performances? After a great night of dancing, do you write something down? Do you still have programme booklets at home? A photo or poster on the wall? Is there a movement from a performance you can instantly recreate, or a scene that will stay with you forever?
We’re showcasing all your dance memories in the exhibition at Body of Work (25.04 — 13.05), our festival of
living dance heritage. If you you have such a dance memory, register on this page and we will get in touch with you shortly.

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