Rosas danst Rosas

Four women

In 1983 Rosas danst Rosas had its world premiere at the fourth Kaaitheater Festival. So this year it will therefore be celebrating its thirtieth anniversary. The choreography has remained almost continuously in the repertoire of Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s dance company and has been performed all over the world. Few choreographies have had such an impact on the development of contemporary dance and persuaded so many people to come and watch dance. Rosas danst Rosas is a true classic, perhaps the classic in our national dance history.     

In 1982 Fase had already been a revelation because of its repetitive postmodern movement idiom. A year later the very young Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker surprised audiences even more with the sophisticated composition of Rosas danst Rosas. The production also signalled the start of the Rosas company; the four dancers – Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Michèle Anne De Mey, Fumiyo Ikeda and Nadine Ganase – were the first members of the company.  

At the beginning four women stand at the back of the stage with their backs to the audience: their first movement is to fall backwards and roll over. Almost like capsizing. In this first part the only music is that of the human body: the panting and dragging across the floor. In part two the music starts; it was composed by Thierry De Mey and Peter Vermeersch in parallel with the creation of the choreography. In Rosas danst Rosas we see the emergence of the themes that have continued to characterise De Keersmaeker’s work: the contrast between rational structure and meaningful emotion, the dialectic between aggression and tenderness, the interaction between unison and counterpoint, and between uniformity and individuality.

Do you dance Rosas?

Together with fABULEUS Rosas and Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker are launching a challenge. Dance your own Rosas danst Rosas, make a video film of it and post it on www.rosasdanstrosas.be.
In a few videos on this website, choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and dancer Samantha van Wissen teach you the moves, step by step, from the second part of the performance. After that it becomes your dance: you dance Rosas. In a different setting, with a huge number of dancers… any way you like!
If you upload your video film before 1st October 2013, it will be shown at the Kaaitheater to accompany the live performances of Rosas danst Rosas from 8 until 12 October.