Lisi Estaras

proud to present: Lisi Estaras’ #THISISBEAUTY @ TAZ

After a wonderful première series at KAAP, MA Scène Montbéliard and Kunstencentrum NONA last spring, Lisi Estaras will bring her solo performance to the stage of Belgium’s famous summer festival Theater aan Zee. Ticket sales start today at 9am – don’t wait & be sorry!


“If you really want to be understood, look for a good translator” Marlene Dumas

Choreographer and dancer Lisi Estaras celebrates her 50th birthday with a solo. A solo of 50 minutes. A performance consisting of 50 thoughts on identity, gender, sexuality and the life and body of a dancer.

Estaras has always been fascinated by the place of words and language in dance, and for the first time she puts this central theme on stage. What does the performer think while performing movements? Because saying what we say is not always the same as showing what we say.

Inspired by the work of Ludwig Wittgenstein and interviews with other 50-year-old women, #THISISBEAUTY became a fictional autobiographical, physical and verbal performance in which Lisi Estaras questions the absurd limits of communication.


Concept, choreography and dance​ Lisi Estaras Dramaturgy Sara Vanderieck Soundscape Tom Daniels Light design Helmut Van den Meersschaut Costume design Marie Szersnovicz Costume atelier Odile Dubucq Philosophical advice Carla Carmona Artistic advice Kristien De Proost Production management & communication Hilde Debuck MonkeyMind Company Management Nicole Petit Distribution   Plan B – Creative Agency for Performing Arts / Carmen Mehnert & Anne Schmidt Production MonkeyMind Company/MonkeyMind vzw Coproduction Festival Bits of Dance Brugge (B), MA Scène Nationale Montbéliard (F) Residencies  KAAP Brugge, MA Scène Nationale Montbéliard, Tanzhaus Zürich, BAMP Brussel With the support of CAMPO, les ballets C de la B and KC nona (studio) Thanks to Rose, Liora, Mirko and Ludwig

This project is created with a project grant from the Flemish Government – Culture 

proud to present: Lisi Estaras’ #THISISBEAUTY @ TAZ Read More »

When I look at a Strawberry, … a dramaturg’s insight.

When I look at a Strawberry, … a dramaturg’s insight. Read More »

When I look at a Strawberry, … is selected for the LookIN’OUT Festival

 

We are very happy to announce that When I Look at a Strawberry, I think of a Tongue. has been selected for the LookIn’OUT Festival in Brussels. We will present the outlines of the work on November 30th at 16h35 at le BAMP!

LookIN’OUT is a collaboration between a residency space, le BAMP, a venue, le 140 and a support structure in production and distribution, AD LIB. The LookIN’OUT Festival invites a selection of artists in the fields of performing arts, visual arts and digital arts to freely present the bases, the intentions and the strong points of their current projects.

These short performances or presentations (10 to 30 minutes) take place at le BAMP and at 140, during the day and evening. They are reserved for professionals and the goal is for them to become acquainted with quality projects from their genesis on. Several moments of informal exchanges between artists and professionals are part of the program.

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When I look at a Strawberry, I think of a Tongue. – presented in a living room.

Photographer Maya Wilsens assisted first performance of When I look at a Strawberry, I think of a Tongue. in Ostend’s cozy Chambres d’O Festival on January 27th.
She made this beautiful series of impressions:

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Do you wish to discover our work live?
Our next performance will be hosted by the wonderful Sugarbeat Studio in Bunsbeek (BE) on April 21st.

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When I look at a Strawberry, I think of a Tongue. @ Chambres d’O Festival!

Nothing cozier than spending the dark winter nights together indoors. On January 27th and 28th, De Grote Post and Theater aan Zee organise the Chambres d’O living room festival in Ostend (BE). The city’s cultural centre and summer festival join their forces to realize this heart-warming festival in which music, theater, dance, literature and visual arts are shown in the intimacy of a living room. Prepare yourself for a unique experience, in cozy private homes in various places in the city. During unexpected encounters with (fellow) city dwellers on the sofa, artists surprise you on a few mere square meters.

We are proud  and happy to share that we will present When I look at a Strawberry, I think of a Tongue. twice on Saturday January 27th in two different living rooms.

Hope to see you there!


Dancers / choreographers Lisi Estaras and Serge Aimé Coulibaly, musician / composer Mirko Banovic and dramaturge Sara Vanderieck are inspired by Goliarda Sapienza`s novel The art of Joy. The grand and sensual history of a woman who has only one goal in life: to be free.

Sexual desire, the growth into adulthood, social and political engagement flow through this ingenious novel and form the base for a subtle quadrangular relationship that fans out to and with the audience. The different story layers are executed in an original playlist of separate tableaux. The playlist of each performance depends on the artists, the audience and the specific setting of the living room.

When I look at a Strawberry … an intimate seduction dance between movement and music.


tickets are available here.

 

When I look at a Strawberry, I think of a Tongue. @ Chambres d’O Festival! Read More »

When I look at a Strawberry, I think of a Tongue… let’s tease you a bit!

On September 23rd and 28th we presented the result of the first month of creation of When I look at a Strawberry, I think of a Tongue in Ostend and Avignon. We had the chance to perform on three specific locations: the gallery Beausite (programmed by De Grote Post), the Art Centre KAAP by Ostend’s seaside with it’s beautiful view and the welcoming Théâtre des Doms next to Avignon’s Palais des Papes.
Those three performances sold out quickly and proved to be a wonderful and precious experience.

For those amongst you who could not be present, we have made a small teaser to share a glimpse of the Strawberry experience.

Enjoy & don’t hesitate to share your thoughts with us!

 

When I look at a Strawberry, I think of a Tongue… let’s tease you a bit! Read More »

Monkey Mind Feest

Monkey Mind Feest – what a party!

Last Saturday July 1st, we presented Lisi Estaras‘ creation Monkey Mind Feest at Ostend’s contemporary dance festival Dansand!

This one time event was a dance party in the spirit of Lisi’s Monkey Mind choreographic material. With this material she aims to convert the endless chatter inside your head into movement.

Over the course of a season, working with different audiences, and supported by a research grant of the Flemish Government, she has devised the ‘Monkey Mind’ methodology.

De Grote Post organized a masterclass series for 50+dancers, art school MUDA invited Lisi for a project with their students, Lisi continued to research the material with Platform K‘s professional dancers with down-syndrome Hannah, Kobe and Fernando and with several other professional dancers.

Putting this research to good use, she’s created a unique party in the public space including people from all different research episodes especially for Dansand!

a few impressions

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in the belgian newspapers

De Standaard published a lovely interview with Lisi. You can read it here.

De Morgen published an article about the collaboration between Lisi and Platform K. You can read it here.

Het laatste nieuws published a small article about the collaboration between De Grote Post and Lisi. You can read it here.

credits

Choreography Lisi Estaras | Dancers Irene Rousolillo, Fernando Amado, Hannah Bekemans, Kobe Wyffels, Fons Dhossche, Magda Ral, Eric Steyaert, Marjan Colombie, Lief Weuts, Kries Hoornaert, Ingeborg Vandenbulcke, Chris Soenen, Lut Van Malderen, Caroline Slabbinck, Mieke Boonen, Catherine Barbez, Lieve Polet, Nadine Machtelinckx & Sam Louwyck| Music Bartold Uyttersprot | Dramaturgy & Artistic assistance Sara Vanderieck & Quan Bui Ngoc | Production De Grote Post | With the support of De Provincie West-Vlaanderen en KAAP | With the collaboration of Platform K & Monkey Mind vzw

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Catch us at this summer’s festivals!

For those who are curious to discover my dramaturgical / outside eye work: it is all over the festivals this summer!

You can find Lisi Estaras‘ work in Ostend’s summer festivals. She will create a special version of La Esclava and the unique Monkey Mind Feest for Dansand at the beginning of July and will present Monkey Mind in  Theater aan Zee at the end of that same month.

Serge Aimé Coulibaly will present his Kalakuta Republik in Africologne, Tanzhaus NRW, MARS, Festival de Marseille, Festival d’Avignon, Theaterfestival Boulevard, Tanz im August and Kampnagel Sommerfestival. In the fall he will continue touring the piece all over Europe. You can find all announced performances here.

Naïf Productions will also be present with their latest creation La Mécanique des Ombres in the Festival d’Avignon  in July.

And last but not least Bára Sigfúsdóttir and Eivind Lønning will share their beautiful TIDE with Julidans’ audience in Amsterdam.

I hope you will catch up with us somewhere!

Check this calendar to discover where and when you can find us. A simple click on the list next to it will bring you to the organizer’s websites.

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Catch us at this summer’s festivals! Read More »