Group from Netherlands opens Contemporary Dance Festival

The 22nd Cyprus International Contemporary Dance Festival starts this year with Arnos Schuitemaker’s group from the Netherlands, while a short spectacle at the entrance of the Rialto Theatre will mark the opening ceremony in a festive atmosphere.

With seeming casualness, If You Could See Me Now sets a chilled-out club dance into one dizzying wave-like motion. The three performers see no limits to what they take out of their bodies, propelled by the rhythm of the beat.

Progressing continuously, the vibes accumulate and electrify, drawing the audience deeper and deeper into the performance. At maximal exertion and sweaty physicality, the incessant movement flow audaciously redefines itself as luminous and versatile impressions. The performance space dilates and shifts. Time gets chopped up then reshapes.

From ecstasy to turmoil, from the build-up to its dismantling, If You Could See Me Now challenges expectations and appeals for another look, to look again, and it transforms an exact spontaneity into a hypnotic sensory experience.

The face behind this performance, Arno Schuitemaker, “creates works one has to experience” say the organisers. Using ongoing, perpetual movement, his perception-based performances become immersive and transformative encounters that speak about the life and the time we live in. In collaboration with various extraordinary performers, composers and lighting designers, each work shapes its own identity and perspective. Often characterised as interdisciplinary, they transcend dance and push its boundaries.

 

22nd Contemporary Dance Festival – The Netherlands

Opening of the festival with a dance performance with choreography by Arno Schuitemaker that has been presented at renowned theatres and performing arts festivals in over 15 countries across Europe. June 2. Rialto Theatre, Limassol. 8.30pm. €8. Tel: 7777-7745