PART OF THE TANZWERKSTATT EUROPA

“I felt that it was simply who I am. And I didn’t want a label. But today, after 45 years of working as a creative artist, as a mother and as a woman, I stand by feminism. Yes, ‘Rosas danst Rosas’ was a feminist statement – but that wasn’t the plan.”

– Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker

With ‘Rosas danst Rosas’ in 1983, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker created one of the most influential works of postmodern dance, thereby securing her international breakthrough. Building on the minimalist approach of ‘Fase’ (1982), the choreography develops a complex structure from reduced, precise movements, in which repetition becomes the central means of expression. Powerful, almost obsessive movement sequences meet everyday gestures, creating an intense tension between formal rigour and emotional presence.Four female dancers perform ceaselessly recurring sequences, as if they were dancing themselves. Rhythm, persistence and physical exhaustion give rise to a haunting dynamic which was already interpreted as an explicitly female and feminist stance at the world premiere. The music by Thierry De Mey and Peter Vermeersch, composed in parallel with the choreography, reinforces the hypnotic effect of the piece with its repetitive soundscapes.