Astrid Boons bids Korzo farewell as house maker with Deep Time

With the world premiere of Deep Time, Astrid Boons wraps up her time at Korzo. She’s been part of the makers’ house since 2016. After a dance career with NDT2, Krisztina de Châtel, GoteborgsOperans Danskompani & Pina Bausch, she focused on her development as a maker within Korzo. Khôra was her big production there. Its follow-up, Deep Time, premieres this Friday at CaDance. We look back and ahead with Astrid.

Q: Looking back on your time as a maker at Korzo, what has stayed with you most? Any specific highlight you’re proud of?

A: "Honestly, I’m proud of the whole journey I’ve taken. At Korzo, I was given the time to develop and deepen myself artistically through practice, and I’m really grateful for that. I got to know myself better and was able to experiment. The moment where everything came together for me—and definitely a highlight—was creating Khôra in 2023. My biggest work so far. Zaza Dupont designed a beautiful set, we went on tour, and performed to sold-out audiences at Impulstanz in Vienna and the Tanzbiennale in Heidelberg. It was fantastic to share that experience with the team. Both shows sold out, the audience was deeply moved, and we got great reviews. It was super valuable to experience and gave me a lot of self-confidence."

Q: You say you’ve developed yourself—what has being a house maker brought you?
A: "Mainly I’ve gotten to know myself better as a maker. By trying all kinds of things, I’ve now found my own path. I’ve got the right tools now to continue working independently. I’ll be producing work through my own foundation in the coming years—of course still in close contact with the Korzo team."

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Photo: Performance picture Deep Time - Jim de Bock

Q: What advice would you give future house makers?

A: "Experiment as much as you can and follow your intuition when creating your work. Not every performance has to be the perfect one. Try things out! That’s how you discover where your strengths lie as a maker. And here, you have the space to explore what and why you want to make something. That process takes time. At Korzo you get that time, so grab it with both hands!"

Q: Why do you think there should be more focus on female choreographers?

A: "There are still fewer women who get the chance to create work. You really see that difference in the big venues and on the main stages. The whole sector needs to actively tackle that imbalance. I think audiences often don’t realize it either. It’s important that this gets more attention because so many women are creating fantastic work. Luckily, Korzo is already playing a big role in this and actively supports female talent, giving them opportunities to create."

Photo: Performance picture Khôra - Jim de Bock

Q: What collaboration/festival/venue is still on your wish list?

A: "So many! I definitely want to keep touring internationally. It’s inspiring to see and experience how audiences abroad respond to my work. I’d love to return to Impulstanz—it’s such a top wonderful festival—and it would be a dream to show my work at a venue like Chaillot in Paris."

Q: You’re wrapping up your time at Korzo with Deep Time, the second part of Khôra. Can you give us a sneak peek? What can the audience expect?

A: "This performance has a different vibe than Khôra. There are a lot of physical moments, but it also feels a bit softer maybe. I’m working with the idea that if we want to evolve, we can only do that by adapting. In this piece, I’m exploring how far that adaptability can go. The three fantastic dancers bring to life the other beings within us, embracing the idea that we don’t have to be just one thing—we can be many things at once. That’s reinforced by a light design by Fudetani Ryoya and music by Miguelángel Clerc Parada. Plus, there are beautiful costumes by Bregje Van Balen."

Q: Why do you think it’s especially important to create and share Deep Time right now?
A: "We need to think as a society about how we want to evolve in this world. What really matters? And how do we want to leave the world for the generations that come after us? That’s why this piece is an act of resistance."

Q: Any other CaDance performances you’re looking forward to?
A: "I’m looking forward to How we move through the dark. It’s the first work by new Korzo house maker Lea Ved, in collaboration with Poetic Disasters Club, the junior company of Club Guy & Roni. That’s playing Sunday afternoon, May 18."

Deep Time premieres Friday, May 16 during the opening of CaDance and also plays Saturday, May 17. Tickets for the festival and performance are available via Korzo.nl.