Presentatie: Virtual Residencies

OVER DE MAKERS

Ghaliah Conroy (Dans Brabant) graduated from the dance and choreography course at Fontys in Tilburg. Originally, she has a background in theatre as an actress and singer. Since graduating, she has been exploring how to bring these different passions together in a meaningful way. In the past two years, she danced, among others, in HAMMAM an immersive performance by the Irish company ANU Productions, performed in The Pull of the Stars at The Gate Theatre Dublin and was part of Marian Quinn's film TWIG. At Makershuis Tilburg and in residence at PLAN Talentontwikkeling Brabant, she developed her plans for Sunken Works.

Titled Sunken Works, Ghaliah Conroy is working on a series of works around the theme of the Human Zoo, the 'exotic' exhibitions that took place in Europe well into the 20th century, where people of colour were displayed behind a fence for public viewing. What effect does this history have on black women today? Ghaliah is collaborating with audiovisual artist CJ Roxas for this research.

Justin de Jager (Korzo) is known for his expertise and pioneership within the movement of threading. A principle from Breaking where you thread limbs together to create a loop and pass through it with other body parts. Justin is the first choreographer to develop the concept of threading into a language capable of communicating independently, rather than needing another dance style for expression.  

As part of Justin's participation in the Virtual Residencies, he is collaborating with choreographer and documentary maker Constantin Trommlitz, who has followed Justin for the past two years during his 'New Makers' trajectory. In the documentary, Justin takes you through the essence of his movement signature, the obstacles he has encountered along the way, and a candid reflection on the journey he has been on for the past two years.

Merel Severs (Moving Futures) is a theatre maker, performer and martial artist. Severs creates engaging, confrontational and physical performances, drawing inspiration from intersectional feminism, body politics and martial arts. Her unique performance language is built on the strength, flexibility and resilience of the human body.

In her latest performance Coerced & Freely Given (2024), three performers train themselves and each other to withstand the violence of the world and claim space for vulnerability and anger through a system of care and belonging. With her virtual residency, Severs shares these concerns with a wider audience. She reconstructs a selection of performative, textual and choreographic materials from Coerced & Freely Given to create new, even contrasting images. This cinematic translation reconsiders Severs' own narrative and overturns the usual way of looking at bodies under pressure.