STOP IN MANILA
Stop in Manila
Manila is a metropolis with more than ten million inhabitants. Like so many other megacities, unplanned building, overcrowding, traffic congestion, air pollution, crime, corruption and poverty. Two and a half million people live in slums. Moreover, because of its geographic location, the Philippines are regularly affected by storms and floods. Remember the recent typhoon Hayian?
Do you ask yourself, as we sometimes do, what role art plays in an environment where survival is the primary concern? We visited Manila and went looking for a needle in a haystack: contemporary dance. What we saw was a small but passionate dance scene which creates festivals and platforms without significant government support. With a strong sense of enterprise, they organize meetings, workshops and debates. On blogs they reflect on body and movement. They also follow very closely the evolution of dance in the rest of the world, surfing the Internet at home. For choreographers in this metropolis, dance is not a luxury but a creative means to transcend harsh reality.
We are bring you some of these inspiring dance personalities at deSingel. And with them also Arco Renz. Last year this German choreographer, who was one of the first generation of P.A.R.T.S. students, spent several months in Manila working with local dancers to create a performance.
Surprise yourself and learn what inspires and drives these dancers and choreographers. What images determine their understanding of the body? What is the effect of centuries of colonization on their artistic identity?
This cluster is the first in a series of stops in world cities.
‘Stop in Jakarta’ will follow in the autumn of 2015.
Manila is a metropolis with more than ten million inhabitants. Like so many other megacities, unplanned building, overcrowding, traffic congestion, air pollution, crime, corruption and poverty. Two and a half million people live in slums. Moreover, because of its geographic location, the Philippines are regularly affected by storms and floods. Remember the recent typhoon Hayian?
Do you ask yourself, as we sometimes do, what role art plays in an environment where survival is the primary concern? We visited Manila and went looking for a needle in a haystack: contemporary dance. What we saw was a small but passionate dance scene which creates festivals and platforms without significant government support. With a strong sense of enterprise, they organize meetings, workshops and debates. On blogs they reflect on body and movement. They also follow very closely the evolution of dance in the rest of the world, surfing the Internet at home. For choreographers in this metropolis, dance is not a luxury but a creative means to transcend harsh reality.
We are bring you some of these inspiring dance personalities at deSingel. And with them also Arco Renz. Last year this German choreographer, who was one of the first generation of P.A.R.T.S. students, spent several months in Manila working with local dancers to create a performance.
Surprise yourself and learn what inspires and drives these dancers and choreographers. What images determine their understanding of the body? What is the effect of centuries of colonization on their artistic identity?
This cluster is the first in a series of stops in world cities.
‘Stop in Jakarta’ will follow in the autumn of 2015.