| Maker | Teddy shouldn't smoke |
| Duration | 95 min |
Why are we so hard on our bodies?
Body of Goodbyes goes in search of comfort and love for your body.
Choreographer and dancer Marijke de Vos knows better than anyone else that you only
have one body, and you should take care of it. That’s why she decided to make Body of
Goodbyes with her collective Teddy Shouldn’t Smoke. In it, De Vos and musician Laura
Nygren (Show Pony) ask the question: why aren’t we kinder to our bodies? We all age,
and especially for dancers and other people who work with their bodies, this is sometimes
a difficult realization.
Dancers, as well as top athletes and other artists, usually, barring
Keith Richards, cannot continue to do their work at the same level all their lives, because
sooner or later the body protests. But the same goes for, say, pavers or construction
workers. And even the most boring office job or the most enjoyable hobby often cannot be
kept up until you are 90. Body of Goodbyes links this theme to today’s performance culture:
we always want more and better, but when and how does this come at the expense of our
bodies?
In this performance, through the combination of dance , live music and scenography, you
will be completely immersed in another world: that of the body, and how to deal with it.
Body of Goodbyes takes you on a journey from a difficult attitude with your body, full of
conflict, to acceptance and caring. A warm bath with a tough message: be kind to yourself,
before it’s too late.
Contextprogramme
Body of Goodbyes has a supporting act consisting of the short performance Interaction /
Inner Action by Barend Elias. This performance was made in the context of the talent
development program Teddy’s Talents.
Monday morning rush hour. A busy station and a crowded subway. There is little space
and the blind mows everyone down. Suddenly the subway stops underground… All alarm
bells go off and no one knows what to do. Several people, each with their own disabilities,
struggle through this thin tunnel of chaos. Who has an eye for each other?
Interaction / Inner Action is made possible by Stiching Droom en Daad.
Teddy shouldn't smoke, a Rotterdam dance collective, is known for its innovative interdisciplinary performances on current themes such as fear, burnout and sexuality. The company, led by choreographer and artistic director Marijke de Vos, initiates performances that utilize artistic forms of all kinds. Contemporary 'gesammtkunstwerks' that highlight the vulnerable sides of people in this fast and harsh society. Teddy strives to inspire compassion and provide comfort in individualist times.
Marijke de Vos (Vlissingen, 1986) graduated from ArtEZ School of the Arts Arnhem in 2008 with a degree in Dance Maker. Marijke enjoys crossing boundaries in her choreographies. Since 2017, she has been creating performances with Teddy for both theatre and special locations, such as parking garages and neglected office buildings. She is inspired by the natural reaction of the human body to unpleasant and distressing situations, where she constantly plays with the boundary between reality and imagination. Her performances explore emotionality and the dark side of the human psyche. Sometimes with irony, but highly confrontational when need be.
| Concept & choreography | Marijke de Vos |
| Composition | Laura Nygren, Annique Nahumury/ Pé Bies, Marijke de Vos, Shireen Kanouni/ Fay Gurbutt |
| Performers | Laura Nygren, Annique Nahumury/ Pé Bies, Marijke de Vos, Shireen Kanouni, Fay Gurbutt |
| Scenography and costume design | Terror Kittens by Annique Nahumury |
| Stage design | Matthijs Felix |
| Light design | Edo Stolk |
| Business management | Hedi Legerstee |
| Production | Chabelle van der Pauw |
| Coaching | Loulou Hameleers |
| Poster concept & design | Gerben Gerrit |
| Photography | Mihai Gui |
| Partners | WORM, Albeda Danscollege |
| Special thanks to | Alina Fejzo, C-Roy Nimako, Daan Doesborgh |
| Made possible by | Gemeente Dordrecht, Gemeente Rotterdam, Stichting voor bevordering van Volkskracht, Norma Fonds, Cultuurfonds, Elise Mathilde Fonds |
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