In a futuristic universe, Cherish Menzo transforms the Black body with powerful dance language. In D̶A̶R̶K̶MATTER, Cherish Menzo and Camilo Mejía Cortés pull apart seemingly recognisable images and mould them into a dance and movement language all their own. Travel off into the pitch-black, punky and alienating D̶A̶R̶K̶MATTER universe where the possibilities of the body are stretched to the maximum. Against the backdrop of an apocalyptic jungle décor, equipped with cinematic soundtrack, a dark and beautiful play is created with the hypothetical body.

For DARKMATTER, Menzo draws on hip-hop and rap culture, post humanism and Afrofuturism; a movement that focuses on a future in which black people live in a hyper-technical and decolonised world. Or in which colonisation never took place. To create her universe, Menzo found inspiration in space. In dark matter, where stars and black holes meet and collide. It is precisely in these collisions that a new, (afro)futuristic and enigmatic body can emerge. Precisely there, you can develop a new movement language.

Menzo stretches the language of movement by applying the Chopped & Screwed method, a remix technique within hip-hop music in which the tempo is sharply reduced. In D̶A̶R̶K̶MATTER, Menzo translates this method into movement and dance. D̶A̶R̶K̶MATTER is the official jury selection Nederlands Theater festival 2023 and Het Theater Festival 2023 (Belgium). Also nominated for the VSCD Mime/Performance Award 2023.

Credits

Choreography: Cherish Menzo, Camilo Mejia Cortés
Performance & dance: Cherish Menzo, Camilo Mejia Cortés
Production: Frascati Producties / GRIP i.s.m. De Coproducers
Photography: Bas de Brouwer
Lenght: 80 min

AMSTERDAM | FRASCATI
Sat 7 October, 20H00