From 13 to 17 November 2024, the Plein Theatre will host the Pauline de Groot Festival. A unique occasion where the legacy of dance pioneer Pauline de Groot will be put in the full light. The significance of her work as a dance innovator in the Netherlands deserves special attention: radically and self-willed, she helped shape the dance landscape from the 1960s onwards.
In addition to paying tribute to Pauline de Groot, the festival provides an opportunity to take steps towards answering the question of how to make important dance heritage accessible for the future, for a wide audience as well as for future generations of dance makers. Through an exhibition, a series of talks with audiences and invited guests, and the presentation of new work by two contemporary choreographers who researched De Groot's personal archive, different generations of audiences and performing artists will be brought together to share or learn about De Groot's oeuvre.
On 13 November, there will be a grand opening of the festival with the exhibition "Pauline de Groot, pioneer in dance" featuring unique photographic and video material. The exhibition can also be seen after the festival until 8 December 2024. During the opening, the new website with Pauline de Groot's personal archives will also be launched.
On 15, 16 & 17 November, the festival continues "Performing the Archive" with daily:
Talks - led by Marijn de Langen and Guido Jansen
Pauline de Groot's archive forms the basis for a series of conversations with invited guests - contemporaries and colleagues in the field - and audience members about how they experienced De Groot's "New Dance" at the time and what relevance they see for current artistic practice. Photographs, video footage and personal testimonies will create not only a look back at the past, but also a current dialogue about art and society. Marijn de Langen is a researcher and author of the Mimeboo. Guido Jansen is a dramaturge and researcher specialising in theatre and dance archives.
Performances - Antonia Steffens and Elisa Zuppini
Contemporary choreographers Antonia Steffens - together with Tiana Hemlock-Yensen - and Elisa Zuppini each present a choreographic proposal based on their research in Pauline de Groot's archive and conversations with De Groot herself. The Pauline de Groot Festival is an initiative of Fransien van der Putt, critic, dramaturg and publisher, and also celebrates the 50th anniversary of the School for New Dance Development, co-founded by Pauline de Groot. The festival is a collaboration with The New Dance Library, Podiumkunst.net Foundation, SNDO and Plein Theater.
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