Mankind

Dance Company De Stilte and Duo Busch & vanKemenade
Jack Timmermans – choreography, Joost van Wijmen – costumes, Uri Rapaport – lighting design, Donna Scholten, Alex Havadi-Nagy, Mirella de Almeida Castagna – dance, Paul van Kemenade – alto saxophone, composition, Stevko Busch – piano, composition

Mankind, in the English language, is a beautifully composed word. In Dutch, humanity translates to man and child at the same time. At the same time, Mankind also means humanity as a whole. Evolution has brought us to where we are today. We think we know who we are. We think we know where we came from.

But where are we going? We can consult books to find that answer. And then?

We build and demolish, we climb and descend, creating space for ourselves and others. With trial and error we move forward, from generation to generation. With books as an aid, we travel through history. Without knowing where and when it will end.

The music for this performance was composed by Paul van Kemenade on saxophone and Stevko Busch on piano.

“What audacity to use such minimal means to depict the never completed development of mankind. Simply by putting a bunch of old Winkler Princes in a pile or pushing them over. For children a funny, intriguing game, for adults a symbolic treatise. Handsome.”
Francine van der Wiel – NRC: 4 ****

“Seldom have seriousness and humour gone hand in hand so beautifully.”
Mirjam van der Linden – Volkskrant: 5*****

Read here the report of a mother who attended the performance with her husband and two sons:
“Each has their own path here, their own wisdom, their own world and story. In the tension of the encounter, the rubbing along of each other and the humorous outcome, reactions in the room are similar.”