„I aim to find a balance”, it sounds towards the end of The Balancing Act. The sonorous voice belongs to choreographer Ann Van den Broek, who records a large part of the voice-over. In her new choreography, after a period of research into extreme emotions such as loss, deep sadness and exuberant joy The Memory Loss Trilogy, Ohm and Joy Enjoy Joy, in search of balance. Anyone who thinks that this will result in a kind of harmonious yoga session does not yet know Van den Broek.
The emotional journey of five men and three women takes place in a setting that Van den Broek has been working with for some time. Clinically white floor, surmounted by a frame of white LED light and a set of foot pedals on the four equal sides with which the dancers control the volume and intensity of the soundscape by Nicolas Rombouts and the lighting design by Bernie van Velzen. A rectangular ‘box’ above the floor functions as a projection screen for the live recordings.
The Balancing Act is a passage through great extremes, where the audience is dragged along a winding path where fear follows uncertainty, joy follows despair, doubt follows impatience, with sometimes a glimpse into peace of mind, connection and peace. Never for long of course, it never takes long before the dancers again perform a rhythmic, repetitive step pattern with neurotic intensity or they make recognizable gestures of irritation and uncertainty in a synchronous group sequence; a phrase that evokes associations with the famous choreography Rosas danst Rosas by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker.
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When the dancers are literally staggering at the edge of the performance surface, wildly waving their arms to avoid falling, it seems uncontrolled, but Van den Broek is firmly in control. She likes control. Everything points to this in the movement language she has developed over the past two decades. Here too, the style that she herself has baptized ’emotional minimalism’ can be seen, with gestures and steps that are often intense, sleek and measured with a high degree of clarity in design, concept and theme.
This need for control creates a clear framework for the emotions that the dancers occasionally show in full intensity in close-up for the camera, slightly insane (Nik Rajšek), furious (Anthony van Gog) or crying (Marion Bosetti). The texts on the shirts that emerge from under clothing also express different moods: “How is my breath”, “It is a mind game”, “Make space” and, a truism: “You will fail again and again” .
Because even though all parts flow together and arms are wrapped around each other, with Van den Broek it is precisely the imbalance that sets everything in motion. As a result, her choreographies always require an emotional investment from the spectator, which she makes The Balancing Act close to the playing surface. As a result, there is no escape from Van den Broek’s all-too-human condition.