INFAMOUS OFFSPRING

Close

INFAMOUS OFFSPRING

Ultima Vez / Wim Vandekeybus

Shows

Sorry, there are currently no available shows.
INFAMOUS OFFSPRING
Ultima Vez / Wim Vandekeybus

A modern patchwork family inspired by Greek mythology and re-mastered through the universe of Ultima Vez and poet Fiona Benson: this is Infamous Offspring. In Wim Vandekeybus' latest creation, a whole new cast of actors and dancers ventures into the labyrinth of ancient tales. On stage as on screen, dance merges with poems to create a unique new world.

Run time 1 hour and 50 minutes
Genre dance
Language language no problem

Dutch opening night Wed November 22

INFAMOUS OFFSPRING


A modern patchwork family inspired by Greek mythology and re-mastered through the universe of Ultima Vez and poet Fiona Benson: this is Infamous Offspring. In Wim Vandekeybus' latest creation, a whole new cast of actors and dancers ventures into the labyrinth of ancient tales. On stage as on screen, dance merges with poems to create a unique new world.

All ancient stories revolve around gods, as projections of the extreme experiences of the human life. Zeus and Hera are the nucleus of the Greek pantheon, surrounded by a very lush offspring. How do these descendants relate to their parents and to each other? All together, they form a patchwork family, where all members have their own strengths, ambitions and flaws. Jealousy, adultery, greed and many other aspects that belong to the human experience were infused and amplified in these unreachable characters, so that we could mirror ourselves.

The Greek world of gods is never-ending: universal tales retold throughout history branch far away and are still hold true to our society today. Many variants of these stories keep being alive at the same time, which is the very core of the mythological narrative. As writer Roberto Calasso said, “everything that happens, happens this way, or that way, or this other way. If, out of some perversity of tradition, only one version of some mythical event has come down to us, it is like a body without a shadow, and we must do our best to trace out that invisible shadow in our minds." It is in this multifaceted context that the space for artistic imagination emerges and the world of Ultima Vez unfolds. -|-
Daniel Copeland and Lucy Black play the father/Zeus and the mother/Hera, who, appearing only on screen, remain distant, unreachable divine parents. At their side, the flamenco legend Israel Galván embodies the family’s best friend/Tiresias, the blind prophet who will communicate purely through rhythm and body language to the performers on stage.

Hephaestus is one of the main characters in Infamous Offspring, the god of fire and of forging, who as soon as he was born was already thrown from the Olympus and remained crippled. Due to his impairment, Hephaestus develops outstanding skills as the blacksmith of the gods. The rejected becomes then the skilled and the indispensable, the only worker.

In the show, Hephaestus is portrayed by Iona Kewney, a Scottish painter and contortionist, who transposes the key features of the crippled fire god into an imaginative language. All the divine siblings are performed on stage by young international dancers, opening the gaze on Greek mythology to a broader, contemporary and universal approach.

Fiona Benson, a poet whose dark imagination is solemnly infused with lyricism, reworked the mythology and imagined the text for the performance. In her writings, such as Vertigo&Ghosts (winner of the prestigious Forward Prizes), the contemporary and the myth are always echoing each other. Infamous Offspring is her theatre debut: poetry, like dance, is an abstract form of conveying something without literally pronouncing it. 

Like in several of his previous pieces (like Blush, Puur, Traptown), Wim Vandekeybus develops the visual narration through several media: cinema coexists with stage performance, dance with spoken word. All these languages enhance and exalt each other for a unique and ever recognizable signature.

Photography by Wim Vandekeybus. INFAMOUS OFFSPRING is directed and choreographed by Wim Vandekeybus (Ultima Vez) and will perform on November 22 (Dutch premiere) & 23 at Internationaal Theater Amsterdam (ITA).
Photography by Wim Vandekeybus. INFAMOUS OFFSPRING is directed and choreographed by Wim Vandekeybus (Ultima Vez) and will perform on November 22 (Dutch premiere) & 23 at Internationaal Theater Amsterdam (ITA).

Credits


direction and choreographyWim Vandekeybus 
created with and performed by Iona Kewney, Maria Zhi Tortosa Soriano, Lotta Sandborgh, Cola Ho Lok Yee, Samuel Planas, Rakesh Sukesh, Paola Taddeo, Adrian Thömmes, Hakim Abdou Mlanao
film cast Lucy Black, Daniel Copeland, Thi-Mai Nguyen, Cola Ho Lok Yee, Iona Kewney, Paola Taddeo
with special appearance in the role of Tiresias Israel Galvàn
text Fiona Benson
music Warren Ellis/Dirty Three, ILA
sound design film Arthur Brouns
artistic assistant and dramaturgy Margherita Scalise
movement assistants Maria Kolegova, Alexandros Anastasiadis
costume design Isabelle Lhoas 
stage design Wim Vandekeybus
decor realisation and consultancy Schröder, Pepijn Mesure and KVS
sound engineer and live video operator Schröder 
light design Wim Vandekeybus & Benjamin Verbrugge 
light on tour Benjamin Verbrugge, Sarah Feyen
production Heleen Schepens
distribution Julia Bouhjar
consultancy on mythology Nadia Sels 
thanks to Laura Aris, Jerry Killick, Magdalena Öttl, Matteo Principi, Louis Kubben, Thi-Mai Nguyen
photography Wim Vandekeybus, Danny Willems

production Ultima Vez 
co-production Teatro Comunale Di Ferrara, Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, KVS 

with the support of Tax Shelter measure of the Belgian Federal Government, Casa Kafka Pictures Tax Shelter empowered by Belfius. Ultima Vez is supported by the Flemish Community & the Flemish Community Commission of the Brussels Capital Region 

-|-
CREDITS FILM FRAGMENTS in the LIVE PERFORMANCE

director Wim Vandekeybus
film script Wim Vandekeybus, Fiona Benson
film produced by Ultima Vez & lesmecs
executive producer Jesse Vander Meersch
first assistant director/visual director Fernando Vandekeybus
second assistant director Margherita Scalise
DOP Dries Vanderaerden
1st AC Ruby Vander Kooj
steadicam Sander Blok
art direction Jara Vlaeminckx
setdresser Brecht Vanthuyne, Aaron De Keyzer
art direction backdrops Naomi Zwaenepoel
gaffer Pieter-Jan Donckels
electro Willy Van Barel, Geert Drobé, Ellie Bryce, Thibaud Decoene, Steven Lorie, Justine Hautenauve
technical assistance Pepijn Mesure, Schröder
set photography Wim Vandekeybus
sound Vincent Struelens
styling Isabelle Lhoas, Susanne Fischer
assistant styling Lieve Meeussen
make up & hair Tine De Sauter
location KVS Brussels
location managers Donald Berlanger, Robin Hectors
production Lieselotte Belon, Sara El Allouch, Heleen Schepens, Monica De Bock
postproduction supervisor Jasper Flikschuh
editor Joost Prins, Fernando Vandekeybus
sound design Arthur Brouns
special thanks to Lucky Cameras, Cachet, Watts lightning

more dance

Language NP Language no problem ZIEL Conny Janssen Danst Dance ZIEL
Close ZIEL Conny Janssen Danst
01 Apr '24 to 02 Apr '24
In search of freedom, lightness and unexpected encounters. What keeps us from embracing life and breaking through the restrictions we impose upon ourselves?
Language NP Language no problem The beauty of it all Nederlands Dans Theater 2 Dance The beauty of it all
Close The beauty of it all Nederlands Dans Theater 2
03 Apr '24 to 05 Apr '24
The beauty of it all strikes the ultimate balance between honoring NDT's legacy and its rich repertoire, while creating space for new artistic voices that provide the company with surprising perspectives.
Language NP Language no problem Assembly Hall Kidd Pivot / Crystal Pite & Jonathon Young Dance Assembly Hall
Close Assembly Hall Kidd Pivot / Crystal Pite & Jonathon Young
22 Apr '24 to 24 Apr '24
The latest production by the Canadian company Kidd Pivot, founded by choreographer Crystal Pite, celebrates its Dutch premiere at ITA in April.
Language NP Language no problem WE, the EYES ICK Dans Amsterdam / Emio Greco & Pieter C. Scholten Dance WE, the EYES
Close WE, the EYES ICK Dans Amsterdam / Emio Greco & Pieter C. Scholten
02 May '24
WE, the EYES aims to question perspectives in a society in crisis and claims change.
Language NP Language no problem Hatched Ensemble Mamela Nyamza Dance Hatched Ensemble
Close Hatched Ensemble Mamela Nyamza
20 May '24 to 21 May '24
HATCHED ENSEMBLE is the extension of Mamela Nyamza’s original and highly acclaimed solo work HATCHED created in 2008, an autobiographical work which the Choreographer reflected on her life as a mother, lesbian and artist.
Language NP Language no problem SPRING Introdans Dance SPRING
Close SPRING Introdans
21 May '24 to 22 May '24
To celebrate spring and life, Introdans presents Spring, a programme centred around the work of Mauro Bigonzetti.
Language NP Language no problem Elements of Freestyle ISH Dance Collective Dance Elements of Freestyle
Close Elements of Freestyle ISH Dance Collective
28 May '24
A spectacular show that includes skating, freerunning and BMX, after which you will see urban arts with new eyes.
Language NP Language no problem Eu não sou só eu em mim Grupa Cena 11 Dance Eu não sou só eu em mim
Close Eu não sou só eu em mim Grupa Cena 11
14 Jun '24 to 16 Jun '24
One of Brazil’s most important and daring dance companies will present an energetic piece that questions and affirms identity and unicity through dance, technology and philosophy.
Language NP Language no problem The Romeo Trajal Harrell, Schauspielhaus Zürich Dance Ensemble Dance The Romeo
Close The Romeo Trajal Harrell, Schauspielhaus Zürich Dance Ensemble
25 Jun '24 to 27 Jun '24
Picture a single dance for everyone, inspired by a world as it might have been. Choreographer Trajal Harrell’s The Romeo imagines this dance for people of all origins, genders and generations, of all tempers and moods.