Project D – Public Space
EQUILIBRIUM at De Zandwacht
How Do We Embody Resistance in a Changing Landscape?
On this homepage, you will find everything about the concept of the dance performance created in public space, where theory and practice intertwine. In the navigation bar under the 'Contents' menu, you can explore information about my personal log, leadership, and the presentation itself. Throughout the site, I've included images from the performance to bring this unique project to life and provide a vivid portrayal of its essence.
Shifting Perspectives: Ideas and Inspirations - Concept
My intention with this public space performance was to explore how personal and collective traumas manifest within the interaction between individuals and their surroundings. The performance translates the internal experience of not feeling “good enough” into a physical dialogue with the landscape and audience.
The site-specific performance takes place at De Zandwacht, an open-air sculpture on Maasvlakte 2. This location is integral to the concept as its form—inspired by the natural process of dune formation—echoes the layers of human experience. Just as the wind shapes and reshapes the sand, human experiences, particularly unresolved trauma, leave marks on our inner landscapes. The dancers embody these imprints through movement, creating a physical representation of how the past continues to influence the present.
Bessel van der Kolk (2015) states that "trauma results in a fundamental reorganization of the way the mind and body manage perceptions" (p. 21). This concept resonates deeply with the performance: the dancers’ movements, originating from somatic explorations of tension, release, and imbalance, embody the invisible traces of trauma. The audience’s ability to walk around the site creates an ever-shifting perspective, reflecting the fragmented and layered nature of memory and perception. Just as the wind shapes and reshapes the sand in De Zandwacht, the audience’s movement through the space mirrors the way trauma imprints itself differently depending on context and interaction. The dynamic interaction between movement, perspective, and environment thus offers a tactile metaphor for how past experiences settle and resurface in constantly evolving patterns.
Henri Lefebvre (1974) stated that "space is a social product" (p. 26), emphasizing that space is never neutral but shaped by human interactions and experiences. Furthermore, Lefebvre argued that "space is never empty: it always embodies meaning" (p. 170). These ideas are central to the performance’s conceptual framework. De Zandwacht, a human-made structure inspired by natural processes, becomes a symbolic site for exploring this interplay. It is both a product of its makers and an evolving entity shaped by wind, sand, and time—an apt metaphor for the human experience of carrying past influences while continuously adapting to new contexts.
The dancers’ interactions with the structure—pushing against and pulling on its concrete pillars, moving through openings, leaning into its curves, and using it as both a barrier and a reveal—further emphasize this theme. Their movements are not directed toward a single front but unfold 360 degrees, fully utilizing the circular space and inviting the audience to shift their perspectives. Positioned within the heart of De Zandwacht, the dancers symbolize an internal world shaped by external forces, while the audience moves around them, observing from the outside in. This dynamic interaction, where the dancers represent an internal landscape and the audience traverses the external, brings Lefebvre’s notion of subjective space to life.
The location itself adds a rich layer of symbolism. Designed by Observatorium, De Zandwacht visualizes the process of dune formation, where sand is lifted by the wind and settles into new shapes. Geert van de Camp, one of the members of Observatorium, explains: "We were inspired by the way sand blows up, the path it traces through the air, and how it settles again." This mirrors the human experience of being shaped by external forces, carrying past experiences, and finding new forms of equilibrium. Just as the wind shifts the sand into ever-changing formations, the performance demonstrates how personal and collective histories reshape themselves in response to shifting perspectives and contexts.
Framework of Co-Creation
The collaborative process with the dancers is rooted in somatic and improvisational practices. We began by exploring individual tensions within the body, drawing on personal narratives of vulnerability and strength. This was followed by partner and group exercises that examined how these tensions translated into shared movement.
During rehearsals at De Zandwacht, the environment played a pivotal role. The sand on the ground shaped the dancers’ dynamics, requiring them to adapt to its resistance and weight. This literal connection to the earth deepened their sense of grounding and mirrored the metaphorical weight of trauma. Through their interaction with the site—leaning against its curves, moving through openings, and allowing the wind to guide their dynamics—the dancers engaged in a dialogue with the structure that embodied both struggle and release.
The co-creation process was integral to shaping the final performance. To make full advantage of the material, the dancers taught each other their duets. I also guided them through an intuitive group improvisation session, where they engaged with one another through strategies such as copying, complementing, or contrasting each other’s movements. This principle, drawn from Dance Composition by Jacqueline M. Smith-Autard (1992, p. 59–61), provided a foundation for exploring dynamic exchanges. The improvisation served as a creative playground, allowing dancers to build connections, challenge one another, and refine their responsiveness within the group. From this session, I facilitated direction from the sidelines, giving prompts such as "Everyone move onto the diagonal and explore gestures exclusively from the duets."
This process culminated in a collaborative brainstorming session that developed into a score—a guideline for the performance that balanced structured phrases with improvisational freedom. As a result, the dancers remained constantly alert to each other, enhancing or contrasting dynamics as the moment demanded.
Jo Butterworth, in Contemporary Choreography (2012), emphasizes that “the notion of shared endeavor is a predominant mechanism for this work, and the use of facilitating skills that involve joint decision-making and open rather than closed strategies” (p. 388). By working collaboratively, the dancers gained a sense of ownership over the piece. The process emphasized equal contributions, where every voice mattered, fostering a sense of empowerment and mutual respect. This co-creative method not only enhanced the performance’s depth but also reinforced the dancers’ connection to the work, transforming the choreographic process into a shared artistic journey.
Research Strategy: Integrating Theory and Practice
The research strategy for this performance is rooted in a seamless integration of theory and practice. This approach explores core themes of trauma, movement, and environment, with the goal of creating an authentic and embodied work. The research process was dynamic, with theory and practice informing one another at each stage.
What was investigated:
The interaction between personal stories, bodily tension, and the site-specific environment of De Zandwacht was the central focus of the research. This theme was explored through somatic investigation, which allowed the dancers to attune to their bodies and explore how trauma manifests physically in movement. The physicality of the space was also explored, drawing on Henri Lefebvre's (1974) idea of space as both a social and symbolic product. This concept guided the dancers' interaction not only with the architecture and materials of the space but also with each other and the audience. By engaging with the space, the dancers were able to direct their bodies within it, and the space itself became a participant in the performance, influencing the energy and interaction between dancers and audience members.
How the research was conducted:
Practical exploration was key to this process. Somatic practices such as body awareness and tension-release exercises were used to help the dancers connect deeply with their physical sensations. Through improvisation, they explored how personal narratives and emotional tension could be translated into movement. Partner work was another key component, particularly the duets focused on pushing and pulling, which allowed the dancers to explore their relationship with others and to build trust and connection through physical interaction. Group dynamics were also central, with collective improvisation tasks enabling the dancers to respond to each other’s movements in real time, thus generating a shared vocabulary and creating moments of both harmony and conflict. These practical strategies were informed by the theories of Van der Kolk (2015) on trauma and its bodily manifestations, as well as choreographic strategies from Jacqueline M. Smith-Autard’s Dance Composition (1992), which provided a framework for the group improvisation sessions.
Why this approach was chosen:
This mixed approach was selected to foster an environment in which the dancers could actively engage in the creation and interpretation of the material. The somatic exploration and improvisation allowed for personal expression while simultaneously building a collective understanding. Drawing from Jo Butterworth's (2012) emphasis on co-creation, this approach ensured that the dancers played an active role in shaping the material, allowing the piece to evolve through their lived experiences. By weaving together theory and practice, the process was not only about creating movement but also about generating a deeper embodied understanding of the themes of trauma and healing. This collaborative, process-oriented approach ensured that the work was both conceptually grounded and physically grounded, allowing the dancers to be both creators and interpreters of the piece.
Sculpting the Self
This performance at De Zandwacht bridges the personal and collective, the internal and external. It uses the body, movement, and space to interrogate how past experiences shape our present selves. Grounded in theoretical insights and contextualized within the unique environment of De Zandwacht, the work invites both performers and audience to reflect on the invisible forces that sculpt us—just as wind and time sculpt the dunes.
The video below is a 9-minute edited version, accompanied by music composed by Terence Hensen, the composer of the production Equilibrium. Equilibrium at De Zandwacht is part of the research process. The unedited video, a 20-minute raw recording of the performance, can be found in the middele of the Presentation page.
