Dance(R) (work in progress) / Goldberg Variations

For his Dance(R) - Tunisia Mohamed Toukabri returns to his native Tunisia, after more than 10 years in Brussels. Together with eight young dancers from the Ballet de l’Opéra de Tunis, he questions the dancer’s position and role in society. Before the interval, we get to see this work in progress, performed exclusively for December Dance. After the interval, George van Dam and Simon Lenski take a contemporary approach to Bach's Goldberg Variations. With an eye on performance and visual art, they add context to this iconic work and develop its internal structure, whilst preserving its musical integrity. George van Dam performs the Goldberg Variations on harpsichord in their entirety. Simon Lenski fulfils the role of dancer-performer, drawing on his insight into the score as a musician.  Unconventionally conventional. Or to quote Friedrich Schiller: Be a child of your time, but do not become its product.

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An artistic process can have productional repercussions. The premiere of Dance (R), for example, will not take place as originally planned in November, in Tunis, but in the spring of 2020. We are consequently unable to present the final performance on 6 December. We can, however, offer an exclusive insight into the work in progress, in combination with the extra performance Goldberg Variations.