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Wowwowwonders in me

A metal bucket, a lamp, a trench coat and a top hat – that’s all that Anouk van Dijk’s four dancers need to transform the stage into a world where human control appears to be an illusion. The production Wowwowwonders in me is inspired by the work of the painter Nik Christensen, whose paintings portray ominous scenes, in which insecure beings move through an unpredictable world. In his work, Christensen touches on the heart of the explosive times in which we live. Our world is changing rapidly and it is uncertain whether we are all heading towards a disaster or whether we are actually turning the tide. In Wowwowwonders in me, Anouk van Dijk abstracts the uncertain times in which we find ourselves. In a bleak white landscape, grotesque figures literally determine what is visible and what remains hidden. Their role in the disaster we sense approaching, however, is hard to interpret: are they instigator or victim, spectator or director? In a world that is out of control, the four figures find their way, driven by the need not to face things alone.

press

When watching performances by anoukvandijk.dc, it’s best to switch off your mind and just go with the flow and rhythm of the movements. […] The dancers stand next to each other in a semi-circle and seem to start getting undressed. But something makes them hold back. Doubts…should we or shouldn’t we? One of the women looks seductively into the camera filming her, playing with the camera and with the spectator. Then we realise that what’s happening on stage doesn’t match what we’re watching on screen. It’s not exactly as in reality. Anoukvandijk.dc. stages it beautifully. Wowwowwonders in me is a wonderful performance for those who want something other than an evening of popcorn at the cinema or beer at the Comedy Theater for a change. It is also extremely interesting for the artophiles who know the work of Nik Christensen. But anoukvandijk.dc. already proved long ago, at the Parade festival, that they were accessible to a wide audience.

Maarten van Krimpen, Deadline, 18 March 2010. Read the whole -Dutch- review here.

Forbidding or hopeful: the oppressiveness is felt in the silence before or after the storm. Choreographer Anouk van Dijk captures this oppressiveness on a stage like a monochrome white canvas, on which she succeeds in suggesting a beautiful twilit world with dance and light.
Sander Hiskemuller, Trouw 9 March 2010

Wowwowwonders in me is the world of four wilful people - Peter Cseri, Birgit Gunzl, Philipp Fricke and Yi-chun Liu. Gradually – and that process is beautiful – the bare stage they start out on fills with actions and things. Sometimes, the light almost becomes a character: threatening, manipulative. […] From the start, the movement language is like we know it from Anouk van Dijk: fragmented and thoroughly composed. A body never shoots off in one direction, but always tries out several directions with different limbs. A fall is also a jump at the same time. The way of moving, like the lighting, produces restlessness and turns the dancers into uncertain, searching, but also inventive beings.
 Mirjam van der Linden, Volkskrant 8 March 2010.

How should you behave in a world you don’t understand? Which doesn’t understand you? In which you feel lonely, even in the midst of others. The four dancers in Wowwowwonders in me show what it’s like to live in a world where human control is an illusion.
Annelies Omvlee, theatercentraal.nl 10 March 2010

The images Anouk van Dijk creates in her new choreography, Wowwowwonders in me, are uncomfortable. Restlessness sets the tone, contacts are difficult and all the hectic and wilful movements appear doomed to failure.
Francine van der Wiel, NRC Handelsblad 11 March 2010
 

credits

Concept / choreography / stage design: Anouk van Dijk Created for and with: Peter Cseri, Birgit Gunzl, Philipp Fricke and Yi-chun Liu Music: Dirk Haubrich
Artistic advice and props: Nik Christensen Costumes: Anneke Pleiter

Light design: Anouk van Dijk, Jorrit Boerman Video: Vincent Fenger Dramaturgy: Annette van Zwoll Rehearsal director: Nina Wollny
 Assistant to Anouk van Dijk: Eilit Marom Technical realisation: Jorrit Boerman (hd), Roland van der Grinten, Adriaan de Geus Set construction: Anton Abbes Production management: Heleen Rol (hd), Marloes Sliedrecht

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