Double bill: Puff & Sons of Soil
In Puff, everything revolves around what appears and then disappears again. Hiltinho Fantástico reveals a body that constantly reshapes itself, fuelled by samba, passinho and capoeira.
Festival Julidans
Programme section Julidans On Stage / Julidans NL (Sons of the Soil)
NL première (Puff)
Location Bijlmer Parktheater
Duration 75 minuten
Genre Dance
Language Language no problem
Double bill: Puff / Sons of the Soil
From the moment Hiltinho Fantástico steps onto the stage, his body seems not quite his own; it is dragged along, accelerates, comes to a standstill and shoots forward again. Fantástico moves between control and surrender. His feet tap at lightning speed, drawing on passinho, samba and capoeira, whilst his body sometimes seems to float and then collapses. Each breath, footstep, clap, the rhythm of his body: everything becomes part of the dance. In many dance forms derived from the African diaspora, movements, rhythms and knowledge were often concealed – as a means of survival. That idea runs like an undercurrent through this dance performance.
Everything you see is constantly shifting. At times sharp and precise, at others elusive, almost hallucinatory. As if something always remains just out of sight. In Puff, the body becomes a place where memory, imagination and transformation intertwine. And then – as if it were never quite substantial enough to hold onto – it’s gone again: puff!
-|-In Sons of the Soil, two young men take us on a journey into adulthood. Rather than explaining masculinity from within, the work invites us to explore the complexity, beauty and all the layers of it together with the protagonists. Choreographer Sheree Lenting centres her focus on brotherhood, vulnerability and resilience against the backdrop of our colonial past. Sons of the Soil is a poetic encounter between strength and gentleness. Movement, music and text merge into a landscape of rituals, memories and unspoken connections
Alice Ripoll
Alice Ripoll has been working in contemporary dance for over twenty years, as a choreographer, performer and movement director for theatre and film. She leads the companies REC and SUAVE in Rio de Janeiro, through which she develops her own hybrid movement language, evident in performances such as Zona Franca and aCORdo, which were also shown at Julidans. Her work has been presented on major stages and at festivals, both in Brazil and internationally, from the Centre Pompidou and BAM to Kyoto Experiment and HAU Berlin.
Hiltinho Fantástico
Hiltinho Fantástico has been collaborating with choreographer Alice Ripoll for many years and is affiliated with the companies REC and SUAVE. His movement language is rooted in Brazilian urban dance forms such as passinho, samba and capoeira, which he blends with contemporary dance. With his physical precision and intense charisma, he tours internationally at leading festivals and venues.
Sheree Lenting
Sheree Lenting is a Rotterdam-based dancer with Surinamese roots at the intersection of art and social change. Her work seamlessly blends movement, film and storytelling, drawing on her experiences as a black woman. Sheree creates art that is both thought-provoking and socially relevant, serving as a powerful mirror of our times. Her mission? To uplift, empower and inspire people to bring about change. With a BA in Dance & Education from the Amsterdam University of the Arts, Sheree has refined her craft through international collaborations and intensive training at the Ecole des Sables in Senegal, among others, under the guidance of renowned teachers. She has developed workshops and programmes for young people and diverse communities for and with organisations such as the Move Forward Foundation and the HipHopHuis. Her commitment to social justice even took her to South Africa, where she created choreographies for various projects and festivals.
Credits Puff
Direction Alice Ripoll
Creation & performance Hiltinho Fantástico
Assistant direction Alan Ferreira, Thais Peixoto
Light design Tomás Ribas
Costume & scenography Alice Ripoll, Thais Peixoto
Tour management Joana D’Aguiar
-|-Production assistant Isabela Peixoto, Thais Peixoto
Original soundtrack Alice Ripoll, Mimosa
Coproduction Theater Rotterdam
Support Festival Actoral, Câmbio
Diffusion ART HAPPENS
Credits Sons of the Soil
Sons of the Soil
Choreography Sheree Lenting in collaboration with the dancers
Dancers Gaspar Ribeiro, Yashasvi Shrotriya
Spoken word Jermaine Berkhoudt in collaboration with Sheree Lenting
Music (edits) Jermaine Berkhoudt
Light design Remko van Wely
Coaching Lisa Reinheimer
With thanks to Jermaine Berkhoudt, team Dansateliers
-|-Algemene credits DANSLOKAAL 13
National premiere 4 October 2025, Maastricht
Rotterdam premiere 30 September 2025, Rotterdam
Concept Conny Janssen
Technical crew Alfred van der Meulen, Gijs Coolen, Jorn Kortooms, Guido Nieuwdorp, Koen te Poele, Remko van Wely
Rehearsal director Erik Spruijt
Photography Pien Düthmann, Martijn Kappers
Video Davide Bellotta, Marlies Media, Mattia Trematerra
Creative partners Conny Janssen Danst, Dansateliers, Korzo
