blue technology – en

Program

BLUE TECHNOLOGY

Through the use of technology we have the opportunity to accelerate our capabilities. We are faster, stronger, more beautiful and intellectually super charged. The question is, how do we deal with that much power? Blue Technology consists of four distinct choreographies in which technology has a central place, creatively as well as thematically.

NEWTON’S DUET
The interaction between man and technology is the central theme of Newton’s Duet. The choreography explores the line between the positive and the negative influences of technology on mankind. The reference in the title to Isaac Newton is based on his three laws of nature that describe the movement and balance of forces. These natural laws made him one of the founders of classical mechanics. To a certain extent, major technological innovations, that are now subject of ethical debates on technology, build on the work of Newton. Middendorp uses drones as part of the choreography. An interaction between the drones and a dancer suggests the ambiguous relationship between man and technology. Together they show moments of symbiosis as well as of conflict, the dark and the playful side of technology.

This piece should be regarded as a work in progress. Just as drone technology itself, which is still in its infancy. Newton’s Duet is the first result of Middendorp’s creative exploration of drone technology, and, as the potentials of drones advances, his work will evolve along.

Music: Genevieve Murphy (composer) and Joel Thurman (sound programmer) “Drone Life”

BLUE JOURNEY
Blue Journey reveals the struggles of a girl with herself and the world around her. She projects a blue shadow, unlike everyone else, forcing her to realize that she is fundamentally different. This challenges every aspect of what she knows, creating the questions, can she make sense of herself, and does she actually need and want to fit in? In Blue Journey we experience a search for identity. And through this visual experience, being different is celebrated, because those who dare to think and embrace their differences, help change the world and make human progress possible.

This choreography was originally created in 2008 and has since then been performed all over the world. Middendorp made adaptations of the piece for the well-known television show America’s Got Talent in 2014 and with his originality as a choreographer, and a story teller, his show made it to the semifinals.

Music: Radiohead “Street Spirit (Fade Out)”; Clint Mansell “πR²”; Radiohead “Like Spinning Plates (live)”; Clint Mansell “2πr”; Radiohead “Videotape”

FACE-MACHINE
Face-machine deals with the overwhelming role our facial appearance has in our daily lives. Today people exhibit their faces to the world through digital networks, such as Facebook and Instagram. In comparison to fifteen years ago, the social media we use today is mainly focused on the face. The Selfie has become the standard and puts us in a friendly competition to present ourselves using our face alone. This one snap of a button on a phone, serves as a billboard of whom we are or whom we attempt to project. Middendorp is intrigued by the omnipresence of the face and how it has become the central point in the performance of our identity. In his desire to unveil this generation’s dominant factor, he uses the face as the focal point of his choreography.

Music: Genevieve Murphy “People”; Sail “Awolnation”; Skrillex “Bangarang” acapella by Dario Fo

FLYLAND 2
Flyland 2 shows a story about love, emotion and the thin line between fantasy and reality. Two gatekeepers offer the audience a look into a hidden world. Suddenly the floor starts breaking apart and the gatekeepers tumble down into this mysterious world. Once again through this unique choreography coupled with technology, Middendorp brings to life an emotional fantasy, where we experience two people ending a relationship, surrounded by animated clouds of memories. Before the dancers reach the ground, they gain control over their fall and start to fly. This secret world represents an alternative version of reality. With their fall, the dancers lose their grip on reality, but quickly adapt to their surroundings and gain control. The central question is; what version of reality is real? Is it the world we experience every day, or the one that plays out in our imaginations. Dreams and hallucinations are impulses of the brain, just as much as our conscious perceptions are.

Music: Cinematic Orchestra “to build a home”; Genevieve Murphy “Sky Grounds”; Queens of the Stone Age “This Lullaby”

Photographers Menno van der Meer, Pieter-Henk van Wijk, Robert Benschop

CREW

Artistic director David Middendorp

General manager Hans Brouwer

Marketing and Publicity Lindy Schutte

Production Sanne van der Velde & Ben van Overbeek

Rehearsal director Bruce Michelson

Costumes Ben Voorhaar, Karisma Costumes (Newton’s Duet, Face Machine, Flyland 2) and

Dorine van Ijsseldijk (Blue Journey)

Animations David Middendorp in collaboration with Suitup Studio

Drones Luchtzinnig, Emmanuel Elías, Martijn van der Klauw, Boaz Stolk, Henricus Basien,

Gourav Mahapatra, Robert Vrees and Maarten Kip

WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO

ArtEZ Dans, Korzo producties, Introdans, Holland Dance, Oerol, Theater de Veste, TU Delft, De Dutch Don’t Dance Division, Suitup Studio, Nonamics Holding B.V., George Visser Productions, CJP, de Acteerstudio, Martine van Dijk, Ard van Rijn, Ben van Overbeek, Philip Taylor, Menno van der Meer, Linda Ammerlaan, Marieke van Veldhuizen en Rutger Gernandt.