Lisa Vereertbrugghen on Again Forever: "I wondered: what happens if I dance slower than normal"?
In the run-up to the premiere of Again Forever in the Domzaal in the Vooruit Arts Centre, we spoke with Lisa Vereertbrugghen. In her newest CAMPO creation, she exchanges the intensity of techno for the slowness and intimacy of slow dance. She talks about the creative process, collaborating with the dancers and interacting with the audience.
How did you come up with the idea of exploring slow dancing in a choreographic context?
"The idea actually came about because I worked with techno for a very long time, especially very fast techno. After thirteen years of extremely fast dancing, I felt like exploring the other extreme. I wondered: what happens if I dance slower than normal? It was a movement from faster than normal to the exact opposite, slower than normal. I was once asked by a radio programme to give my opinion on “the disappearance of the slow dance”. Well, I had no opinion on that at the time, but the question stuck with me. Where did it go and why did it disappear? I did slow dance when I was sixteen, but never again after that."
How do you work with the dancers on the idea of intimacy and time? What does that require of you?
"Yes, it was a long process, and I had the luxury of really taking the time for it. I deliberately wanted to embark on a long-term project with the dancers so that we could get to know each other thoroughly. We started at the seaside: during Dansand in Ostend, we came together for the first time for a try-out."
"During the research phase, we gradually allowed more intimacy in the dancing. That was certainly not there from the beginning. The process was actually like dancing a slow dance with someone you don't know yet: first cautiously feeling each other out, and as you get to know each other better, trust and closeness grow. And that has actually been the process for the past nine weeks."
To what extent do you see the audience as part of that collective dance practice? Is there interaction?
"In my previous creations, I thought less in terms of audience interaction and more in terms of audience activation. I strongly believe that with music and dance I can activate the body of the audience, as a whole, as one community."
"My techno work was about a pronounced physical and energetic activation. With this performance, we want to create a sense of deceleration and connection in the space."
How do you hope Again Forever will change your audience's understanding of social dance?
"I don't know if the audience's perception will really change. But above all, I hope it will make people want to dance themselves, that it will create a desire to get moving."
Text: Esmee Spoelman
