A black fairy tale

With no fairy god mothers and with an unknown end.

A fairy tale that starts with a rain.

An endless rain.

Pieces of a strange –like net- fabric are falling from the sky.

With every piece falling a shuddering noise is following.

They are falling from the sky and change the people.

The world as we know will never be the same after that rain.

Will that be good or bad?

Does that seem bad just because it’s something unknown or different?

Wim Vandekeybus sets these questions with his strong and powerful, theatrical movement but it is as if he wonders out loud. He nailed us down with his fearful scenario of a mysterious new world that may come. And his performers, dancers and actors, were performing with such excellence that you almost believed that they are creatures from that newborn world.

The texts are from the fairy tale novel Zwellend Fruit by Peter Verhelst and had been reworked for the performance by the same author. Reciting those texts by the performers was like million ants were following the direction of ones spine. The following text is the beginning of the play.

‘They say that the people are sleeping on the roofs or in trees.
That the nights will never be the same again.
They say that from now on it will rain unceasingly.
That it is impossible to go outside.
There are those who say that the world is acting the way it does in fairy tales.
That it’s the fairy tales themselves that are coming down.
Maybe it’s a combination of the two.
There’s always somebody who’s right.
That they bore themselves straight through your body.
Like strange seeds.
Stalks appear.
They will flower.
They will become as thick as tree trunks and bear fruit.
We stay indoors and listen to the rain.
How it hits the ground.
Ceaselessly.
Metastases
Metastases’

The music by Eavesdropper and the sound concept by Josh Martin were giving successfully the thrilling effect of that ‘black fairy tale’. They manage in the best way to fill with emotions the audience that was viewing the performance. The result was that the audience had the feeling of being a part of the fairy tale, despite the fact of the space being an open amphitheatre.

The dramaturgy by Inne Goris gave that special color to the whole atmosphere, while gave to the dancers the equal power to perform as actors. The result was that not anyone could say who was the dancer and who the actor. Not that it did matter. The whole performance was a breathtaking experience and I would be pleased if I had the chance to see it once again.

For more information about the group and their work you can find in www.ultimavez.com.