A theatre performance that sits somewhere between an illegal party and an ancient ritual. In a secret location, an abandoned station hall, or among the trees deep in the forest. They dance until they collapse, in an attempt to reach ecstasy.
Originally, ecstasy means to stand outside oneself. How can we step outside ourselves for a moment, outside the prison of our own ego? How can we merge with the world around us, with others, with the sky and with the trees in the forest? How do we defeat the grey, dreary routines of everyday life? How can we make time stand still, if only for a moment? How can we give form to ritual and enchantment in a world that seems disenchanted? The answer to all these questions might be: by dancing, dancing, dancing. Ekstasis becomes an ode to the fighting spirit and imagination of the dance floor. Yet pain, loneliness, and violence remain perceptibly present beneath the surface.
Credits
CONCEPT / DIRECTION Zephyr Brüggen
PRODUCTION / COSTUMES Eos Brüggen
MUSIC Timon Persoon
SCENOGRAPHY Lena van Drie
PERFORMERS Barnaby Savage, Semna Segal, Jurjen Zeelen, Annabel Koele, Charlotte Vlugt PHOTOGRAPHY Eos Brüggen
PARTNERS Stichting Zabawas, Stichting Melanie en Stichting Dioraphte.
SPECIAL THANKS TO Kelvin Pater, Kevin Pieterse, Frances Sanders, Florian Hellwig, het Amsterdamse Bostheater, en Karavaan Festival
Lena Michel van Drie 