Finally!!! Soon I will start my choreographic exploration at Dansateliers resulting in a solo performance on March 12-13-14. But before I start off working by myself in the studio I am hoping to get together an inspired group of dancers, movers, makers who are up for a weekend of brainstorming and fun exploring around the themes that I will develop in this project. This workshop and the presence/input for each particant will help me to make the first steps and the foundation of my further research.

More information further down. And please don’t hesitate to contact me for more information.

Workshop Johnny Schoofs: “Weekend as a Faun”

In this workshop we will transform one of the classics of modern dance into an up-to-date contemporary version.  “L’apres midi du faun” anno 2010. In a playful manner we will find ways to embody the faun as a mythological figure and personalize the characteristics that make him an archetype.

Through improvisation every participant has the chance to develop his/her personal movement language to make the faun character visible. We will research how an archetype/figure can be the inspiration for a dance without the choreography becoming unnecessarily descriptive or theatrical.

This workshop is entirely for free. All dancers, movers, makers are invited to experience a playful weekend of creating dance. The weeks following Johnny Schoofs will continue deepening his research around this theme resulting in the solo performance “Iron John” which will be presented in March at Dansateliers.

when?
6 & 7 February 2010
from 11am to 4pm (door open at 10:30)

where?
Dansateliers studio
‘s-Gravendijkwal 58b – Rotterdam

registration/info?
info@dansateliers.nl/010-4369937

What does an audience imagine a performance would be when it is called Iron John? Interesting question to pause with for a moment. Perhaps you can reflect on it yourself and you can always let me know. That would be so helpful. Here follows my own train of thoughts.

The name John is the most common English name in musical history. There are so many songs dedicated to the John(ny)s in the world. The name is used to give form to a male figure who embodies very strong ‘masculine’ features. Often he is a stereotypical male figure. He is the Man. He doesn’t do the dishes and the cleaning at home. He is the working man, the head of the household, who makes sure that the money keeps rolling in. He is a tough guy. You don’t mess with the John. He will use force if necessary. He likes to banter with his mates. He likes his beer and discussing soccer. Don’t expect personal or emotional conversations with him. He is not a softy. That’s women stuff. He is the Man. In songs the John is often a cowboy. The lonesome Marlboro man, riding his horse through the desert, minding his own business. At the same time Johnny is my own name which comes from the name Johannes which means “a gift from god”.

Iron John sounds like a male figure who is strong as iron or steel. Perhaps he even possesses supernatural powers. Iron John, the superhero! Of course there is the memory of a recent blockbuster called Iron Man with Robert Downey Jr. in the main lead. The movie is based on the worldwide known comic books published by Marvel Comics, where Iron Man is indeed a superhero. A genius inventor suffering from a heart injury during a kidnapping and forced to build a destructive weapon. He instead creates a powered suit of armor to save his life and escape captivity. He later decides to use the suit to protect the world as Iron Man.

In fact I borrowed the title from a famous book about male psychology written in the beginning of the 90′s by the American poet Robert Bly. ‘Iron John: a book about men’ caused a real revolution (mostly in the US) among many men in how they percieved their own masculinity. The book speaks of the shame that many men feel about their sexuality and their position in society (post-feminist feelings of guilt towards male supremacy). Robert Bly helps men to grow out of their boyish ways of dealing with their environment. He suggests to find the ‘wild man’ in each of us and learn how to embody the qualities of the ‘warrior’-archetype. The ideas in the book are illustrated and explained with the help of a long forgotten fairytale of the Grimm brothers. The story, because of its theme unique in its kind, tells how the main character makes the transition from boyhood to manhood. In the book his initiation into the realm of men is guided by a figure who is living in the forest, the Wild Man. He is the one who carries the name Iron John, because of his rusty-red hair which is covering his whole body.

My aim for this piece is to find myself a way to embody the figure of the Wild Man. A character which can be cruel, brutal, impulsive, animalistic and in close connection with nature. There is a grandness to the figure but at the same time he is vulnerable and sensitive. If we look at the figure that I want to give shape it seems to stand in contradiction with what the title suggests.  The word ‘iron’ suggests that the main character wairs a protective armor. It suggests the figure is invincible, undestructable. By using this title I seem to set up a contradiction which will confuse the audience. And I don’t dislike that as long as I can use this fact intelligently. Perhaps this piece is not just about the invincible superman with a body of steel, nor a piece about a wild man, but rather about the transformation from one into the other, from invincibility to vunerability. This piece can be about the difficulty to drop that protective armor and mask we carry with us in life and the challenge to show our true self in all its beauty and cruelty.

…. and this reminds me of a book I borrowed some years ago from a lovely friend: The Knight in Rusty Armor by Robert Fisher. A wonderful tale about social masks.

I just noticed that all the pictures that I’ve posted till now are depictions of men. Go to ‘Archives’ and browse through the different posts and you will discover that there’s not a single picture to be found of a woman. My apologies for this.

This is a man’s world, this is a man’s world
But it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl

You see, man made the cars to take us over the road
Man made the trains to carry heavy loads
Man made electric light to take us out of the dark
Man made the boat for the water, like Noah made the ark

This is a man’s, a man’s, a man’s world
But it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl

Man thinks about a little baby girls and a baby boys
Man makes then happy ’cause man makes them toys
And after man has made everything, everything he can
You know that man makes money to buy from other man

This is a man’s world
But it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl

He’s lost in the wilderness
He’s lost in bitterness

~ James Brown ~

Iron John is a solo-project. It is a continuation of Performing Portraits. A dance project which researches how to capture the personality of a person in a danced portrait. Iron John is a self-portrait. I am going to be the dancer/performer of the piece. I will be the one making/choreographing the piece. Difficult and challenging position to be in! What will be my strategies to not get bored being alone with myself in the studio????

I will have 5 weeks of production time to make this piece. If I have to work for 5 weeks by myself in the studio I will get crazy. So, I want to make sure that I get some people walking into the studio once in a while. When you work by yourself it is so easy to get closed up in your own mental box. You have certain ideas of how things have to be. You have an image you want to create and you try to make it but physically it doesn’t feel good. Then you drop it and you improvise around and try to discover a way of moving and performing that does feel good, but then you become insecure that it looks completely stupid. You are always in the work. You can never step out and look at it from a distance. Even working with a camera is not always satisfying. And even when I would be able to look at myself from a distance, I don’t think I would like it. Do you like to see or hear yourself on a videorecording? Your attention just gets stuck on all these personal behavioural habits that you don’t like of yourself.

I want to make this solo into a ‘social’ project. I want a lot of  people to be part of this piece. I would love to have  people walking into the studio constantly and becoming part of the process. Sometimes I can ask them their opinion after showing some new material I might have made. There can be discussions, advice,… But I also would like them to come in and give their own ideas what they would do with the themes that I am working with or with the material I already have. I would like them to give suggestions. And maybe there is a wonderful opportunity to work it out together.

I was recently part of a creation of a dance piece of a dear friend of me. We had a little team of 4 people (dancer/choreographer, musician, scenographer, and me, the assistant choreographer). Some days I would be alone with my friend in the studio and try to work on some scenes. But as creative processes go, sometimes it just wouldn’t work. Then the scenographer walks in with a fresh mind and manages to see new possibilities. And the scenes whirl into place.

Ik stoei met jou
De hele dag door
We kussen urenlang
Uitgeput
Geef jij mij een laatste zoen
En zegt:
‘Ik moet er niet aan denken
Dat ik dat
Allemaal alleen had moeten doen’

~ Herman Finkers ~

fotograaf: Pepijn Lutgerink

I will be presenting my piece PERFORMING PORTRAITS (duet version with Maarten Hunink and myself) at Korzo Theater in The Hague on Sunday 11 October as part of Dancing by Daylight. I hope to see you there…

http://www.korzo.nl/do.php?a=show_visitor_korzo_productie&p=1109&m=80

Performing Portraits researches how the personality of a dancer can be captured in a danced portrait. Can the person behind the choreography fade in to the foreground and become the subject of the performance?

Both dancer and choreographer perform the same solo in an attempt to showcase their differences and individuality. A playful game between two men interacting with their own and each other’s identity.

concept: Johnny Schoofs

dance & choreography: Maarten Hunink, Johnny Schoofs

• Repelsteeltje/ Rumpelstilskin (famous fairy tale character)

• “the man who fucked the world” (some movie once seen for 1 dollar at someone’s attic showing a man fucking the world through a hole in the ground)

• The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be (children book written by Canadian writer Farley Mowat; the dog which is the main character makes himself transform into different identities, once he transforms into a deer by wearing antlers)

On October 2-3-4 there will be ‘One Night’s Dance’ at Dansateliers Rotterdam. During three evenings there are presentations of 15 short but brand new dance performances of a new generation of dancemakers. I will use this opportunity to present my own project Iron John, that will be developed in Dansateliers later on in the season.

Expect this time no life intervention as I did previously with Act #1 and Act #2. I will be showing recorded material that can be viewed at the bar of Dansateliers. The film will have no script, or dramaturgy. Rather it will be a collection of scenes played out on location (a parc in teramo, Italy) and recorded with the help of Maarten Hunink. You can observe the scenes as instant compositions around the theme of Iron John, playing with the idea of the faun, the ‘wild man’ connecting with nature, images of masculinity. Next to developing further choreographical ideas around these themes, making this movie is for me an excellent opportunity to play around with film as medium, and to get more acquainted with the technical side of editing.

There are some parcs around. And there are gardens. I am very interested at the moment to make performances in some public gardens of Rotterdam. It is in fact the perfect location to bring the faun/the wild man in me alive. Just imagine having this guy jumping up and down between the bushes. I am sure at first you will think I am some homeless guy discovering new territory. Or perhaps you might think you just discovered a new secret gay cruising area. No, it is way more unique than that. There is somebody making a performance for you. All for free. And you just discovered it. I wonder if you would stop for a moment and enjoy this unexpected encounter? Or would you feel embarressed? I wonder how I could bring it in such a way that it feels innocent and inviting? Rather poetically than confronting?