Co(te)lette
In Co(te)lette Ann Van den Broek shows three female dancers is an intimate setting, caught in a vicious circle between desire and fulfilment. There is no confrontation, there is no rivalry, there is no narrative – no solution, no end. Co(te)lette is a restless and ultimately… empty portrait.
Co(te)lette was awarded the Swan for the most impressive dance production in 2008. This reprise is of particular importance in the current neo-conservative era. It confronts us with the stagnating emancipation of women and the erosion of the right to one’s own interpretation of sexuality and physicality. At the same time, in the personal domain of Ann Van den Broek, it is also a confrontation with the passing of time.
echo_re_echo
What unites us and what separates us? And how does the distance between the two affect our relationships? In echo_re_echo choreographer Ann Van den Broek and singer Gregory Frateur explore the attraction and distance between their personal and artistic identity to allow it to resonate with power and vulnerability. Together they take to the stage, along with musician Nicolas Rombouts and two dancers/performers.
“echo_re_echo is a clash of worlds: the raw dance of Ann Van den Broek – finally back on stage herself – versus the melancholic alternative pop of Gregory Frateur (Dez Mona).” (Trouw ★★★★)
Ann Van den Broek
Human behavior patterns, states of mind, and impressions that sprout from confrontations with different living environments are the principal sources of inspiration for Ann Van den Broek. With every new creative process she looks inside herself and tries to comprehend the emotions and the behavior patterns that fascinate her. Then she looks around me and get information from things she sees happening in other people’s lives.
Furthermore, Van den Broek is inspired by contemporary society: a sign of the times, a recent phenomenon or a universal motif. In that sense, her work is also a critical reaction or rebelling against things that go unquestioned, are ignored or are generally assumed to be the norm.
WArd/waRD
A big part of Ann Van den Broek’s artistic vision can be found in the name of her company. The meaning of ‘ward’, according to the dictionary, reads as follows:
1) the act of guarding; the state of being under guard;
2) guardianship, being under control of a guardian;
3) a means of defense or protection;
4) a division of a jail or prison, or of a hospital;
5) a district or division of a city or town;
6) to fend off, parry;
7) to keep watch over, guard, protect.
In short, in relation to the organization, it is a place where it is safe to congregate and work.