City Horses
Like a herd of wild horses, they race past the monumental sites of Amsterdam.
You find them in any Western metropolis you visit: majestic sculptures of warlike men – emperors, kings or soldiers – riding on the backs of powerful stallions, stoically gazing into the distance. Their histories, echoes from a colonial past, are a fixture in our living space and are also passed on as such to subsequent generations. But where are these other stories in today's city?
Julidans
Open-air
Run time TBC
Startlocation Leidseplein
City Horses is presented along a route throughout the city centre of Amsterdam. Click to download a map with the route and estimated times.
In the multi-layered open-air choreography City Horses, dancers gallop through the city like a herd of horses at breakneck speed. Thus, they form a living monument in constant motion. In monumental places that represent old power relations, they make way for stories that define today's city – with a good dose of daring, tongue-in-cheek, and the necessary 'horse power'.
While in the male dominant narrative the horse is seen as a symbol of power, in City Horses the animal acts as a vehicle for a sizzling game of exchanging experiences. Could this be a way to do justice to the city's polyphony – playful and light-hearted but no less evident?
-|-Visual artist Helena Byström and choreographer Anna Källblad tell new stories based on exchanges with people in specific locations. City Horses was created in collaboration with 14 female, local dancers of all ages from Amsterdam and the surrounding area. Before the performance, the audience will receive a map with an overview of the different pit stops.
CREDITS
Artistic direction, choreography, site/placing, costume, rehearsal director, cinematographer Helena Byström, Anna Källblad
