How much explanation can a body bear?

Dance is expected to do quite a lot. Before a body even starts moving, dance is asked what it is about, and afterwards it has to prove what it has achieved. ICK gives dance four days of space, without having to define its meaning in advance.

From 3 to 5 December, Space for Dance Art opens its doors to everyone curious about what dance, in and of itself, can set in motion. Artists are invited to experiment with new forms; observers — thinkers and writers — can respond in the moment; and as an audience member, you can watch, experience, participate and exchange ideas. You can come for a single performance or spend four days discovering what happens when we give dance free rein.

At ICK, dance begins with the body. Drawing on the knowledge and imagination of the intuitive body, we create performances and develop artistic research. Together with artists from other disciplines and our partners, we explore what dance can become. Over these four days, a variety of practices come together. We take dance out of existing performances and let it speak again, without explanation.

ICK dancers perform without any prior explanation. A speech must hold its own among moving bodies. Dance observers share what they see. There is also room for what dance evokes in you. Perhaps you will find the words for it; perhaps you would rather move yourself. You can also simply keep watching.

The starting point for this four-day dance event is the debate surrounding The State of Dance. How do we recognise the value of dance when its meaning cannot be purposefully explained or measured? With The Body Speaks, ICK also aims to make room for the audience’s curiosity. The meaning of a movement may emerge precisely because you are the one watching. Sometimes you see something in it as it happens; at other times, different meanings suddenly come to you later.

Come together or drop in on your own. Between performances, there is time to meet others and enjoy a drink. You can also get moving yourself on the dance floor; no prior experience is required.