nicht schlafen

Dance performance nicht schlafen by Alain Platel and les ballets C de la B, programmed in Holland Festival 2017.
Nine dancers lose themselves in Platel’s characteristic dance idiom around a sculpture of dead horses. The imposing set design was made by visual artist Berlinde De Bruyckere and the music is by Gustav Mahler. Platel – whose previous productions at the festival include C(H)ŒURS and pitié – focuses on the troubled early years of the 20th century, which led to the tragedy of two world wars. He draws striking parallels between then and now. The intense emotions and confusion that Mahler’s music expressed are once again relevant. Platel and his dancers go on a quest for transformation, hoping not to end up in large-scale destruction once more.