A dance to touch the heart

As one of the The100Hands’ dancers, Jade van den Hout is involved for the longest period of time (since 2014). She has developed herself from intern to a co-creating dancer and young maker. Her process of creation has a natural development through her cyclistic way of working, in which she shapes an overarching research of several projects. Cracking the Shell of Dance is her second cyclistic project, in which she continues a search in which she embarks on a search for the origins of the motivation to dance.

There is something universal about dance. People dance to overcome fear, to stay fit, to celebrate, to honor, to heal, to be amazed or comforted. Some people dance naturally, others find it somewhere in their little toe at special moments. Cracking the Shell of Dance is a form of continuous research in which there is room for everyone’s body, as long as there is curiosity. Because dance speaks from the body and our sensory experiences, the possible meanings are continually supplemented by continuing to move. With the aim to continue to celebrate the pleasure and impact of dance and the connection with ourselves and our environment by bringing people together.

In 2021, Jade started her first research. She went to the studio with 24 people; family, neighbors and strangers – for an hour-long 1-on-1 dance meeting. The questions she asked: What makes us dance? How do we dance for ourselves, for others and together? The result of this process was presented in an interactive dance evening.

The process was continued in 2023 in collaboration with Alison Duarte (one of The100Hands dancers) and Chilton Galimo. They share the drive to convey dance and physical expression to people as pure and powerful as possible and to awaken it in people. As a team they investigate what it means to create a dance space together for and with each other and others. This process leads to the interactive dance evening/performance A dance to touch the heart; an encounter with fascination for dance, a journey in motion in which different dance stories and encounters are shared and where the audience is invited to participate, watch and experience.

CREDITS

Dancers: Alison Duarte, Chilton Galimo, Jade van den Hout I Choreographer: Jade van den Hout in collaboration with Alison Duarte and Chilton Galimo I Dramaturgic support: Mojra Vogelnik Škerlj I Production: The100Hands/Jade van den Hout I  Photography: William van der Voort I Film: Elated Frames I Music track in the video: Arthur van der Kuip I Made possible by: DansBrabant I 2023