Summer months at DansBrabant

DansBrabant believes it is important to make their studio available to makers precisely in the months when it is quiet. That is why this summer some old and new makers are staying with us to experiment or continue working on their new creations through a residency.

Niek Vanoosterweyck
Niek worked with us in the studio for a few days back in 2023. He was then working on his new show called Greyscale. In which he played with polarisation and the binary system. For this, he collaborated with Sylvie Huysman and Nazar Rakhmanov. In July, he was back for several days to explore new elements and take next steps in his development as a maker.

Sylvie Huysman
Through Niek's previous residency, we got to know Sylvie. This summer, she is spending 2 weeks with us in the studio working on a new movement study called Marie emile. The urgency for this movement research came forward from a midlife crisis, many changes, some beautiful and positive, others terrible and challenging. All this prompted her to start doing and exploring something new, returning to dance. Despite the many times she has already said goodbye to it, it keeps coming back to her.
At Marie emile Sylvie asks a lot of questions of herself about how to deal with new phases in life. And how she looks at herself; is it possible, can I look at myself? And how is this look? Can I still get that leg next to my ear? And how do I show the that some movements are a pain in the ass?
Lots of questions that are going to come up for many dancers at some point.

Ghaliah Conroy
Ghaliah has been working at DansBrabant since 2023 on Sunken Works, the overarching title of her work. DansBrabant has nominated her for the Virtual Residencies at the Nederlandse Dansdagen. For this, Ghaliah will be making a film in the coming period, which will be shown at the Nederlandse Dansdagen. To develop this film, Ghaliah will work in the studio for a few days to develop the dance material. Later in August, she will work with CJ (filmmaker) to shoot the footage. This will include her doing it in our newly remodelled kitchen. The result will be seen on 5 October.

Jelena Kostic
Former DansBrabant maker Jelena will be working with us in the studio in early August. Since she was a DansBrabant maker, her rehearsals are always at our house. This time she will be working on a new work Fight or Flight. In this performance, Jelena explores forms of human discomfort: physical, mental and social. This work will be shown exclusively during the dance promenade of Limburg Festival. Based on this theme, Jelena will create a new full-length performance later in September and October Unease. It will premiere in Tilburg on 11 October and then tour the Netherlands.

Elysia McMullen
Elysia is a dancer and maker who graduated from the Fontys Dance Academy a few years ago. She came into contact with DansBrabant through Makershuis Tilburg and this summer she is in residence with us for a few days. During this residency, we will continue working on The Whistle II. It invites the audience to take charge of their own experience as the complex layers of the play begin to unfold. Their participation, or lack thereof, will define their experience.
'The Whistle II', performed by a juggler, a dancer and a musician, opens up a multitude of new worlds to create. Inspired by cinema, game design and cognitive behavioural studies, the work plays with the misconceptions of our minds, leading us to strange and wonderful places.
The end result can be seen at the first Makers Session at the New Forest on 14 August.