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DANTE'S HELL

“Dante’s Hell” is linked at Dante’s “Davina Commedia”, part one (the Hell). The performance has the same abstractness as “The Drowning” which was the first co-operation of the two actors. Also with probably shocking moments for the hearts and souls of Romanian Men.

The performance has “links” to Japanese Butoh dance and grotesque clownesk acting. Butoh dance is based at the dark side of life.…shadow side of soul. Clownesk acting in the performance is based at the grotesque way in which the men explores his “covering” from inertly doubts, fears and imperfectnessess.

The performance has five chapters, islands, thoughts, which are linked as a chain to each other. They seem in first situation independent parts in a struggle of a main’s predestined live at his persecuting shadow of his conscience. But more and more you discover that the man and his “shadow” are struggling through the different “hell”-parts of his character…as there are: “weaknesses” chained at predestination; the guilty of sexuality; gluttony; etc.

His by himself predestined way is heavy, full of obstacles and obligations. What is the result of his travelling through hell;…finally conquered the shadow sides of his life; or the shadow of his conscience leaving him in helplessness.

The two actors Arno Huibers and Frans Custers are both full professional mime-players as well as clowns-actors.
Frans Custers specialised himself in movement theatre and is inspirited by Japanese Butoh dance.
Arno Huibers is well known as circus- as well as theatre clown and mime player, working with his own performances all over the world.
This production is a logical development after their shocking and successful first working together in “The Drowning”

THE DROWNING

About Frans Custers and Arno Huibers
After 16 years of performing in a variety of theatre productions with ‘the clown’ as his starting point, Arno Huibers has now entered into a co-operation with dance/movement artist Frans Custers, the result of which is this theatre performance of dance and acting. Frans Custers who shares a love of the clown, has since 1983 specialised in dance and the abstraction of mime. Performances at the movement theatre of Polish mime director Halina Witek inspired Frans to develop his own language of movement. This is strongly reminiscent of modern Japanese Butoh Dance, elements of which Frans uses to complete his unique performance. In his earlier work Arno Huibers was also on a constant lookout for a new and different departure points and was also inspired by mime director Halina Witek. His artistic development in the direction of movement theatre in combination with clowneske thinking is therefore a logical progression.

Contents
The performance takes the audience on an interesting journey to the border of possibilities which acting and movement, with all their emotion and abstraction, permit. In vehement, bizarre, but also poetic scenes, the soul of a man is laid bare; a helpless drowning man as the loses his superficial certainties….

….A white hand blossoms
dances and caresses
unveils the naked Butoh Dancer
-exploring the contours of life-

The man in gray smoothes the wrinkles of his suit
and sharpens the creases of his life
His soul is exposed;
is life too painful?

He is seeking an erotic seduction on the surface
but finds the white dancer on his way
or in reflection
the gray man and his white soul?

Public;
Do you accept it?
touching or bizarre,
masculine or feminine
we will meet each together

INSPIRATION BY TRESPA PERFORMANCE

The English text is not available.