‘Let’s talk about dance’ is a conversation based research on dance conducted by Bram Vreeswijk. It explores physical experiences of dancing and watching dance in conversations with people; audiences, choreographers, and dancers (professionals and amateurs).

Point of departure for the work is the fact that during a dance-performance every-body involved has physical experiences; dancers on stage as well as those that watch and sense dancing. These experiences are relevant in the process of creating and receiving dance.

Another important principle for the work is that dance – since dance deals with physical experiences – is connected to all other areas of life. In dancing as well as watching dance, the whole human being is involved, including histories that are stored in peoples bodies and minds.

Rob talking about ‘Rocco’, a choreography by Emio Greco and Pieter C. Scholten.

Articulating and sharing physical experiences

Talking about physical experiences is not easy. Physical experiences are partly unconscious and difficult to put in words. It seems that our language is much more suited for talking about goals, plans and objects outside our bodies, than about our own experiences, sensations and feelings. Therefore in this research special attention is paid to the conditions of meetings and conversations. How can we create the conditions for articulating and sharing physical experiences? How to find the relevant words? Words that might be vague, poetic or metaphoric… How to build conditions of trust necessary to share information that is often intimate? How to create conversations in which the different ‘truths’ of different people are respected? How to deal with the physicality of talking (gestures, pace, posture etc.)?

Some of these meetings will be in a theatres, open to a public. Other meetings will be only for invited people, in dance-studios, living-rooms etc.

Events, research and presentation

The aim of this project is to do the research together. The traditional separation between doing research (by a researcher) and presenting the results of a research (to audiences / readers) is avoided as much as possible. Work will be presented at meetings which are research-events in themselves. Audiences are encouraged to be active and contribute to the research which is happening at the spot.

The conversations documented at this website are meant as points of reference for future conversations.

I hope to meet you at a future event.

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(In)visibility in Dance – Maria Mavridou and students of ArtEZ

The Delicacy of the Loving Act – Mor Shani

Motivations for Movement – Emio Greco and Pieter C. Scholten

essay: Trauma and Trauma Healing. Movement, Dance and Performance

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