The end of the world is inevitable in dance performance ‘(Sur) Render’

‘Change is Gonna Come“,”Blowing in the wind“; Anyone who knows his classics immediately understands that (Sur) Render Van Alida Dors is an indictment. Her voice sounds, in spoken Word style, at the start of the performance in a voice-over, it is about the short-sighted way in which we deal with the earth, without taking into account the consequences for our children and child children. She will regularly express other reflective texts. Clearly.

Dors mentions her performances ‘Dance Chronicles’; Stories in which the dancing body express her thoughts and feelings about the world and her personal experience. Such a chronicle was too Closed eyesin which she made the journey back to her roots, her Surinamese ancestors. Now she zooms in to ‘the situation in the world’ and that, as is known, is by no means favorable. In the first part of the performance, this is depicted by seven dancers who hurried about the stage without giving each other the space; A live ultrasound of the video projection on the Achterdoek. This leads to collisions and an orgy from each other tirelessly crashing and cutting off the throat. And then again to a few powerful, expressive group dances and solos in which the different backgrounds of the dancers do get the space: break dance, Krip, Modern and so on.

In the meantime, the black and white projection of video artist Geert Mul zooms in on a hole in a muddy bottom. It is getting bigger and more threatening, a gigantic black hole; The gas masks go up, the end is inevitable. The music, performed live by the triumvirate Hayp, also performs the tension. The wind machines that are rolled up the stage blow the ruins that created the human species, into a red and empty apocalyptic landscape in which only a kind of intersection between a prehistoric giant insect and a scifi monster roam. But Dors keeps a crack open: a Renaissance of color and harmony, in which the community comes together again, dressed white, in a peaceful circle dance.

So there is no shortage of clarity, the originality of idea and elaboration all the more. Since the club of Rome Bosjes performances that tell this story and follow about this scenario (with one of the first and most original tour of Schayks Before, during and after the party in 1972). The argument of Dors is unfortunately not strengthened by the rich design of scenographer Katrin Bombe. As a child (with a lot of pocket money) she purchased in a candy store. Sometimes the means used are functional, others seem more gimmicks, such as the live-projected close-ups by dancer Marc Bruiser or the acceleration and lowering of the guitar and keytar (portable keyboard) for the band members of HayP. Only that crazy monster that pours out a disgusting liquid over the last person is surprising, albeit a bit awkward.

Ironically, it clashes with the criticism that threshes with (Sur) Render wants to deliver. A little more attention for a strong, stimulating dramaturgical line would be a more meaningful investment in expressiveness. He must mainly come from the dance itself, and there is Dors’ strength earlier.

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