Extricate

EXTRiCATE is a reply to a world in overdrive, bringing “an ode to the greatness of the small and unnoticed.” In this intimate, circular, wordless performance, Bert & Tomas craft a world of handstands, live composition, dance, and sound effects. Their journey explores the hidden universes within what we often overlook. EXTRiCATE is a duet of a hand balancing dance performance and a live music & foley performance that offers the audience a soothing universe.

Artistic disciplines: Hand balancing dance, live composition, foley & details

Duration: 50 min

Audience: Age: 10 - 100 , Max. 100 people

Location: Tent, Theatre & Black box

Shows

15 Dec 2024. - Premiere CIRKLABO-festival Leuven, BE

25 Jan 2025. - GC Pianofariek Sint-Gillis, BE

14 - 18 Mei 2025 - Extricate Trapezi Festival Reus, ES

Contact & booking
Bert Vanden Berghe – info@bertberg.com – +32 478 577 866 – www.bertberg.com 

concept & circus performance: Bert Berg

Composition & music performance: Suntapes

Dramaturgy: Margot Jansens

Choreography: Roseta Plasencia

Light design: Casper Van Overschee

Production: Lien Vanbossele

Exterior ear: Aifoon vzw

Coproduction: PERPLX, Circuswerkplaats Dommelhof & CIRKLABO

with financial support: Flemish government, Miramiro & Blinkout

More context
Hand balancing artist Bert Berg explores the boundaries of handstand based on intrinsically driven movements. Composer Suntapes is extrapolating the minimalistic approach in his live compositions. The interaction between both worlds is the base of the new performance “Extricate”.  

Make it dark so we can see the smallest light roar across the sky!

While the audience starts focusing on details, an unravelling participative performance unfolds itself. The piece leans on the artistic harmony between a language created out of a new approach to hand-balancing and minimal musical compositions that invites active listening.

The project rebels in all ‘gentle calmness’ against a society that many perceive as too intense, over-consuming and over-saturated with choices. The harmonious analog universe that this performance creates is our answer to this.

Previous try-outs:

8 Nov 2024 - Toonmoment Extricate MiraMiro - De Expeditie Gent, BE

27 Nov 2024. - Toonmoment Extricate GC De Linde - Haren Brussel, BE

12 Dec 2024. - Try-out Extricate GC De Kroon Sint-Agatha-Berchem, BE

GoDogWait

𝗚𝗼𝗗𝗼𝗴𝗪𝗮𝗶𝘁 - dance with a wink to Beckett. The first lockdown 2020. ARC - dance company, saw a parallel between the story of Samuel Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot' and the world we found ourselves in at the time: waiting an absurdly long time before we were allowed to do what we love again. Coupled with a sometimes absurd series of measures, which created a sense of living in a surrealistic twilight zone.

And the inspiration followed. ARC wanted to translate Beckett's surrealistic play into dance. But how do you portray mental confusion? The dance company started looking, and came up with the combination 'punk rock meets ballet'. Under the title GoDogWait, a nod to Beckett's piece.

In GoDogWait, classical dance and punk rock go hand in hand. Music and dance meet on the border of the experimental and create a story that captures the essence of Beckett's play. GoDogWait is a collaboration between different disciplines.

As musicians we were inspired by the story. Dancers are guided by the music. Live, that gives intensity, sparks, and waiting while something does happen. We called this genre of music: DANCE PUNK. Combining electronic dance music with synthesizers, with a punk tempo on drums and distorted bass guitar sound:

☆Dancers: Aki Nishio, Agnieszka Agi Romek, Jean-Louis Decock, Maciej Piotr Beczek.

☆Live Music: Tomas VANDERPLAETSE & Sven De POTTER, Jente NEELS & Michiel VanDeWinkel

Première: 29.10.2022