Speak Up!

Dutch choreographer Alida Dors, known for her impressive pieces fusing hip hop and contemporary dance, goes on a quest for one individual’s ethics and responsibilities in times of populism and fanaticism. For this, she took inspiration from the ancient Egyptian “Feather of Maat” allegory: The heart’s weight, put against the feather of Maat, decides whether a human might enjoy eternal life or die a second death. In collaboration with four hip hop dancers and two opera singers, Alida Dors creates a new ritual in “Speak Up!”, wherein the responsibility for one’s own actions shifts into focus. Situated between experimental musical theatre, urban and contemporary dance, six young people issue a mutual call to responsibility: Are you proud of who you are? Imagine your heart on the scales of a higher power: Would you still act like you do now? Alida Dors and her company BackBone have been working in close connection with tanzhaus nrw since their performance of “Living apart and together” in 2013. Following “Harvest“, “Built for it” and “True Colors“, “Speak Up!“ is the fifth performance to be staged at tanzhaus nrw. Alida Dors develops her own signature style marked by the bilingual approach of urban and contemporary dance as well as from encounters with other genres.

Duration: 60 min.