| Duration | 75 min |
Too nice, pay the price
Be honest: why is it so hard to say no? In Pleaser, the confronting yet playful dance-comedy by Christian Boscheri, you’ll discover the consequences of constantly trying to please others – not just in our personal lives, but in society as a whole. No matter how well-intentioned, people-pleasing can end in pain.
Through (break)dance, clowning, and physical comedy, Cristian explores how our need for approval shapes relationships, weakens boundaries, and clouds our sense of justice and connection. It is a uniquely entertaining, relaxing, and thought-provoking performance that you should absolutely say ‘yes’ to.
Free to move
Azadî is the Kurdish word for 'freedom’ and tells both Yasmin’s personal story and that of countless others forced to live with oppression. In this dance performance, Yasmin and her dancers give ‘trauma’ a physical language. We see what happens when freedom is taken away, how trauma embeds itself deep in the body and subconscious, and how the process of healing never truly ends.
Azadî draws on her Kurdish and Indonesian roots and the imposed legacy of colonial oppression. Accompanying the performance is a photo series created by Yasmin in collaboration with residents of asylum seeker centres.
For Yasmin, tears are meant to flow here to release and send energy to those still suffering.
From the moment they move, their dance is full of spirit. Their arms sweep in wide arcs, their hair fluttering in the air. Sometimes they make trembling movements, mostly originating from the shoulders. Their breathing is often audible – they are fully present in the here and now.
– Theaterkrant, 10 March 2025
Italian native Cristian Boscheri is an interdisciplinary maker, dancer, and comic based in Rotterdam. He previously worked as an engineer and co-founded Stichting Wedowe before fully committing to the arts. He started as a breakdancer, for which he won numerous awards at a young age, before transitioning into stand-up comedy, gaining national and international recognition for his work. In his solos, he blends dance, mime, clowning, and humour, always leaving room for vulnerability and playfulness. His research focuses on how emotional and psychological states shape our perception and relationships, and how comedy as a language – verbal, physical or mixed – interacts with movement and audience engagement.
Artist and direction: Cristian Boscheri
Artistic support: Aurélia Brailowsky, Shailesh Bahoran, Harvey Cobb
Composition and musical production: Carlo Dini
Photography: Anahí Clemens
Co-production: Circusstad Festival and Circunstruction
Support: Municipality of Rotterdam, Cultuurfonds, Amsterdam Fonds voor de Kunsten, CircusBende
After seeing the impact on the audience and the dancers following my first performance, I decided as a creator to tackle a new social topic, drawing on my combative spirit rooted in my Indonesian and Kurdish heritage. My family, ancestors, and I have all been affected by the current situation in Kurdistan and the history of Indonesia.
Yasmin Diktaş graduated from the Amsterdam Academy of Dance and Theatre in 2024. That same year, she received the Henny Kamerman Dansersprijs, a distinction for remarkable and original dancers, shared with Maria Gomez Becerra.
She has participated in various dance projects, including BlackBirds Festival 2023, VIER x VIER, and the performance Toeslagen, alongside other dancers. She is also involved in Don't Hit Mama with Nita Liem and Bart Deus, in which she uses dance to connect the stories of her Indonesian grandparents with the audience.
Her work is guided by a strong social vision and a deep belief in the healing power of dance.
Performers : Emelie Obernosterer, Julia Baino, Nikki Duin, Yasmin Diktaş, Casey pronk, Direction : Yasmin Diktaş
Choreography : Yasmin Diktaş
Susan Evers, Mallory Martis, Aileen Offerbeek & Celine Shi
Partners: Karavaan Alkmaar, Stichting de Vrolijkheid, Stichting Zsalliance
Funding: Simon & Theresia Cultuurfonds, ATD-Fonds, Voordekunst Cultuurfonds
Korzo Zaal