I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned this, but I have a big passion for dance. Watching live dance shows is my favourite type of entertainment. If I happen to have a very bad day, or even a bad week, and I watch a good dance show, all the badness goes away. I go home smiling, dreaming, charged with positive energy.

Although I have two friends who also have this passion and sometimes we buy tickets together and have a good time, I prefer to go to these shows alone. That way, I can’t be distracted by another person or by the conversation; I can be by myself, with the dancers and the music, focusing only on the experience.

It’s my ultimate treat, the best way to spoil myself now and then. I wanted to write about the shows I’ve seen for a long while now, but I kept postponing it because I dread having to discuss about what I understood from a dance show. Some people look for a clear story in everything, including dance; while for me, dance is more about what it makes me feel. Of course you can get a certain message out of it, but it’s a message expressed more in feelings rather than words. I enjoy leaving the show surrounded by all the feelings, immersed in them and enjoying them for a while, then draw the conclusions later — if there are any conclusions to be drawn. But there are some shows that you feel like telling everyone about, and this was the case with the one I’ve seen last night.

I see as many performances as I can (although not as many as I’d wish), usually at the Stadsschouwburg — they have the best ones. There are shows and shows, some better than others, but usually there is one that stands out, that I remember even one year after it happened — such as my absolute favourite from last year, Side B: Adrift, by NDT1. This year so far, the best one was The Love Cycle: Chapter 2, by L-E-V Dance Company. Unfortunately, I missed the first part of The Love Cycle — OCD love; maybe I’ll have the chance to see it another time.

Chapter 2 is a raw, dark and intense piece, with a very detailed choreography.

It’s about what’s left of love after the initial thrill is gone. It lasts one full hour, during which the dancers take their bodies to extremes, not stopping even for a minute. Muscles are constantly tensed, the torment never ceases. The dancers are rarely in tandem, they mostly perform individual pieces; it makes you think of the unending struggles of love, the isolation that one might feel even when in a relationship. The performance is powerful, passionate, filled with fighting, joy, clashes, exasperation, resignation, violence and tenderness. It was absolutely amazing! The music too is perfect, a pulsating techno rhythm with just a hint of Spanish influences, by DJ Ori Lichtik.

I feel compelled to say that this was the best dance show I’ve seen this year, but there is still one more that I have high expectations from, Significant Moments by NDT2 in November, and I really like them, so I’ll wait to see that one as well before I reach a verdict.

Until then, I’ll leave you with the song that I am obsessed with right now. Close your eyes and dance 🙂