Holland - by Ed Wubbe

Ed Wubbe: “I’m always looking for the ultimate. For a work where all my ideas come together. The perfect piece. And that’s always the piece I’m currently working on."

The new production Holland packs the versatility of artistic leader Ed Wubbe into an evening-long triptych. Parts one and two are a prelude to the last, longest section: Holland. Taking the history of the Low Lands as both backdrop and mirror, Wubbe has created a compelling group choreography that reflects on contemporary life. His affection for a nation is translated into abstract dance. Wubbe has produced a dazzling dance work, transforming references to the Golden Age, paintings by Frans Hals, Rembrandt and Vermeer, the mindset of the East India Company, Calvin and the Dutch tulip, into reflections of our kaleidoscopic world.
Wubbe has created Holland in the spirit of previous signature works such as Kathleen and The Green; like much of Wubbe’s work, Holland is also about people – their frailties and passions.
The opening sequence, Quartet, is infused with the urgency of Wubbe’s choreographic language. An idiosyncratic work from 2007, in a series of duets that become increasingly gestural, Quartet sets out the parameters of our imperfect world. With a new choreography for points, part two reveals Wubbe’s quest for perfection and virtuoso dance. Wubbe (dubbed ‘master of detail’  by the press) uses the razor sharp toe shoes to incise a delicate etching.

Holland: Three completely different choreographies, united only by Ed Wubbe’s inimitable signature.

Première: Wednesday 7 October 2009, Rotterdamse Schouwburg
Playing: 2 October t/m 20 November 2009