Performing to overrule fear

   --Phobia

December 2  2015, Stadsschouwburg Arnhem

Sirens, chaos, shaking bodies, bright lights and rhythms that make you nervous. The performance Phobia by Club Guy & Rony  is powerful and convincing. Already from the beginning of the show the dancers grab the attention of the audience by confronting them with a current topic: the fear for an attack, the fear for a bomb, represented by an egg, that might explode.

Not only the fear of a bomb is being expressed by the dancers from Club Guy & Roni and their Slovenian colleagues from En-knap. Also the fear for the other and the anxiety of not being able to change the world, insecurity and group pressure are themes. The dancers represent extreme characters. These characters are constantly in touch with each other in duets and clean wild group pieces.

Another layer of the piece, giving an expression of fear, is the music. The musicians from the percussion company Slagwerk Den Haag create a tense and direct atmosphere. Strong rhythms are made on the jaws of dead horses. It’s the sound of fear and the sound of death. The percussionist aren’t separated from the dancers. They are performing on stage in between the dancers and actress. Their expression is real and touching and the lightning design emphasises the beating on the bones.

Besides dance and music is text, rewritten by Bas Heijne and Martijn Rijk, a big part of the performance . The actress Veerle van Overloop confronts the audience directly with monologues.
Although Guy Weizman and Rony Haver connect and combine different disciplines, they are not telling the same. As the text is very narrative and direct, the dance is more abstract and gives us feelings. Not only the expressiveness of the movements is strong, also the technique from the dancers is precise and clean.

Guy Weizman and Rony Haver ask the audience questions and make them responsible for what happens on stage. It feels to me as if the audience represents the society, that is a witness of all the bad that happens. Most people are ignorant, some people join and some try to change what happens. During a heavy and serious monologue, a balloon is thrown in the audience, which makes the audience laugh and unfocused. After the monologue the actress throws a can of gasoline over her head and asks for a lighter, someone from the audience throws it at her. How far does de audience allow the dancers to go? This is where the performers are playing with. They are beating, humiliating, capturing and throwing each other on stage. Until we say stop.

Choreographers: Guy Weizman, Roni Haver 

Dancers: Club Guy & Roni, En-knap

text: Bas Heijne, Martijn Rijk

Music: Slagwerk Den Haag

Actress: Veerle van Overloop