Photo: Danny Willems
“There is an entire universe that exists outside the walls of the theatre that has been denied access to dance and theatre,” says Seppe Baeyens. With Birds he ventures outside the theatre walls to organise the public space as a dramatic space. How do participants, onlookers and passers-by relate in this generous, social choreography?
Following the success of Tornar (2015) and INVITED (2018), dancer and choreographer Seppe Baeyens builds upon his exploration of shaping a temporary community in Birds. For this new creation, he steps outside the theatre walls and ventures into the public space with a group of performers and musicians. There the normal course of events is interrupted – sometimes invisibly and sometimes plainly. Time and time again, unexpected compositions arise from playful interactions between onlookers, participants and coincidental passers-by, in which everyone appears to influence the outcome. Birds is a generous, social choreography that seeks out connection and imagination.
In Birds Seppe Baeyens also wanted to broaden and diversify the creation process itself. He invited Martha Balthazar and Yassin Mrabtifi to create and accompany the performance with him.