Program
Welcome
29 May was the big day: my first major premiere as artistic director of Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, and I am grateful and incredibly proud. Anima Obscura is a total experience: dance, live music, animation, design and technology come together in a visually and emotionally overwhelming performance.
With an impressive ensemble of 23 Scapino dancers we tell a story about our desire for immortality, from alchemists to biohackers. What does it mean when we try to eliminate death? Where does the human body fit in a world full of AI and self-optimisation?
I have created a world that takes you to another dimension. Not everyday reality, but a poetic universe where you can lose yourself — and perhaps return to life changed. Don't expect a classical dance evening, but a groundbreaking work of art that touches you and makes you reflect on the question “do you want to become immortal”?
Nanine Linning
Content
On this page, we provide the public with in-depth information about the performance. This includes, for example:
- In a video interview, director and choreographer Nanine Linning delves deeper into the themes of the performance.
- Jappe Groenendijk wrote a philosophical essay about the desire for immortality.
- Meet the performing artists
- Listen to and read all about Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem and Yannis Kyriakides' modern recomposition.
- Learn more about Irina Shaposhnikova's impressive costumes
About the performance Anima Obscura
In her first production for Scapino as artistic director, Nanine Linning explores the age-old desire for immortality – an endeavour almost as old as humanity itself. From the occult practices of medieval alchemists to the contemporary experiments of biohackers and bioengineers, people have repeatedly attempted to transcend their earthly limitations. In this 100-minute performance, the dancers are the protagonists in a quest for the one elixir that will make us invulnerable and enable us to escape death.
The performance traces the desire for immortality through different periods of European culture. During the Renaissance, Enlightenment and modern times, humanism was the dominant worldview. Many believed that people have the right and responsibility to give meaning to their lives and to a more humane society. But in the current post-human era, technological innovations beyond the human point to a future in which there is no longer a clear distinction between human and machine, body and simulation, physical and digital appearances.
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Together with an international team of artists, scientists and philosophers, Linning creates a sensual theatre experience that combines intense physicality with fascinating digital images. In a gigantic video set with 3D animations, holograms and live projections, choreography, video performance, costume design and technology merge into a monumental work of art. Irina Shaposhnikova designed digitally printed and hand-painted costumes that bear traces of Renaissance art. Claudia Rohrmoser's video scenography brings the latest technologies to life. The creative team is completed by philosopher Jappe Groenendijk and dramaturge Peggy Olislaegers. Linning and her team feel both fascination and discomfort about developments in biohacking, artificial intelligence and the disembodiment of humans through VR and avatars.
Music plays a key role in Anima Obscura. Johannes Brahms' majestic Ein Deutsches Requiem, music that offers comfort to the living, finds a contemporary counterpart in Ein Schemen by composer Yannis Kyriakides – a digital recomposition for choir, harp and electronics.
Director and choreographer Nanine Linning
Over the past twenty years, Nanine Linning has gained international renown with her large-scale multidisciplinary productions that combine dance and opera, design, fashion and visual arts.
With her powerful imagery and explosive dance, she reaches a wide audience, which also follows her faithfully in the Netherlands. Performances such as Bacon, Requiem and Zero have been internationally acclaimed. Nanine Linning works closely with various internationally renowned artists such as Teodor Currentzis, Alexandros Tsolakis, Yuima Nakazato, Alexey Retinsky and Studio Drift. Her collaborations with Iris van Herpen and Bart Hess have led to exhibitions in various museums.
Interview by Frederike Berntsen Nanine Linning on her Anima Obscura
Originally from Amsterdam, Nanine Linning studied at the Rotterdam Dance Academy. For the past eighteen years, she has been working in Germany. “At the time, I chose to study dance rather than violin at the conservatory,” says Linning. 'I thought: if I go into music, I'll lose dance, but not vice versa. Ever since I was five, I have been going to the opera and dance with my parents. For me, dance, music, image and art have always belonged together. That hybrid character appeals to me greatly. I have worked a lot with orchestras, choirs and soloists, and I will certainly continue to direct opera in the coming years.'
Anima Obscura is also a Gesamtkunstwerk. It combines choreography, digital art, analogue animation, holograms, costume design and live music. What is the performance about? 'People chase the promise of eternal youth; we hardly accept our mortality. Through biohacking and cryonics, we seek optimisation and ultimately immortality. As an artist, I ask critical questions about the future, and that is how my plan for Anima Obscura began.'
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Linning continues: 'I had the concept and an artistic team around me. From day one, I felt that there had to be a very strong musical foundation. I asked Tido Visser, the artistic director of the Netherlands Chamber Choir, to help me think about which piece or pieces deal with mortality. I wanted to tell the story of our desire for immortality. In the past, you had the occult practices of alchemists; now you have bioengineers tinkering with our humanity.'
Anima Obscura features Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem and Ein Schemen by Yannis Kyriakides, who wrote a kind of echo with Brahms' Requiem in mind. 'The beauty of Brahms is that he offers comfort to the bereaved; earthly life is central. With Kyriakides, we work with flashbacks and flashforwards, with which the dancers show the future. First you hear the analogue world of Brahms, and gradually you find yourself in the electronic sounds of Kyriakides. Both pieces are ingeniously interwoven through the dramaturgical structure of the texts."
'We want to be younger, more beautiful, live longer,' says Linning. 'Instagram: so much of it is fake, staged. We present ourselves online as an alter ego. I find it terrifying that our biological and organic selves are being changed by a boom in technology. Everyone wants to grow old, but no one wants to be old. I want to reflect on that. Once DNA has been tweaked, there's no going back. We no longer have any control over it. And suppose this can no longer be stopped, the manipulation of humans. What does that do to the biological body, the dancer? Will hybrid humans or robots, robot dancers, be working here at Scapino in twenty years' time? Anima Obscura is about the essence of life, which I try to capture in images and music. Kyriakides leans towards the elusive future with fragments of Brahms, the requiem text, but modern notes for choir, harp and electronics. In essence, Anima Obscura shows a possible theory of evolution in a hundred minutes, a transforming cycle of life and death.
Music is extremely important to Linning in everything she does. Music speaks a language without becoming concrete; she calls music a language of dreams, of desire, feelings, emotions and atmospheres to which you can open yourself up. 'In the theatre, you can redefine and discover yourself; I get to taste what it means to die without the consequences. The music allows you to lose yourself in all those moments. Incidentally, you don't need to be an expert in music or dance to enjoy Anima Obscura. You see compelling choreography, hear emotional music and watch phenomenal dancers in subtle costumes and sets. For those who want to delve deeper, there are videos, podcasts, introductions and post-performance discussions, but you can also go in with a blank slate. Every scene in Anima Obscura has its own unique image and takes you through various rituals. This is not a piece where you sit watching one image for an entire evening. That image changes organically and guides you through your own experiences with life and death.
Linning is not interested in staging reality, “you see that all day long around you”. She translates it entirely into a poetic world. She takes you to another planet, her expressive choreography being characteristic of this. Everything is designed; you step into a world you didn't know before. 'In the times we live in, I find it difficult to just create a bit of entertainment. You want to engage in dialogue with society, at least, I do. It's a form of activism, creating art and, in that way, seducing many people through beauty to think differently, to look at the world around them differently. I want to entice people to think, to philosophise, to talk to each other.'
Does Linning herself want to be immortal? 'On the one hand: yes! I would love to live another two hundred years. Really, I would sign up for that right now – because I find it so exciting.
We are living at a tipping point in evolution. We are concluding organic evolution and beginning a new chapter in which we ourselves create life and slowly merge with technology in the digital age. If I die now, I will miss the last pages of the chapter I am reading. I want to finish that book, hence the search for an elixir against mortality. On the other hand, if I were to gain two hundred years, the value of life would change. Every day is unique because you don't know if you'll have another one tomorrow. If someone tells me there's something I have to see in Paris tonight, I'll jump on a train right away. That's why I'm happy every day when I wake up, because there are still so many things I want to do: collaborate with other people, develop visions, learn from others, gain inspiration, develop more awareness and be able to think and work on many levels at the same time. And above all, create a lot of beauty for our world!"
Nanine Linning pauses to think, quite a long pause. "Developing that awareness is ultimately my main goal. I never actually say it out loud, but I work in my own way against war and destruction. Further afield, they wage war, I try to make love with art, with the Gesamtkunstwerk. It's already in that form: I want to be together. While others separate worlds, it is my mission to myself, my activism, to come together.'
Who do you see on stage? Performing artists
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Bettina Rose Jurák
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Minouche van de Ven
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HarpistRemy van Kesteren
Remy van Kesteren's life changed at the age of five when he first heard the enchanting sound of a harp, sparking a lifelong passion. -
HarpistMilana Zaric
A philosophical essay by Jappe Groenendijk The desire for immortality
We mortals find it difficult to come to terms with death. We try to deny it, outsmart it and keep it at bay for as long as possible. That is typical of what we are: mortal beings striving for immortality.
In Anima Obscura, the desire for immortality is explored on multiple levels – from the occult practices of ancient alchemists to contemporary biohackers tinkering with the future of humanity.
I
Death and immortality are two sides of the same coin. Like a procession, a growing parade of dancers strides through the space, their movement reminiscent of rituals of mourning and consolation. Arms cut through the space – raised to the sky, pointing to the ground, spread before the face. They turn on their axis, circling in an endless spiral like a perpetual motion machine. The desire for immortality is irrevocably linked to farewell and loss.
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II
For centuries, alchemists have tried to unravel the secret of eternal life. Their ultimate goal was to create the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance that could turn base metals into gold, cure diseases and prolong life. The purification process is known as the Opus Magnum (great work) and goes through seven phases. However, the alchemists were not simply interested in gold, but in “philosophical gold” that has life-prolonging properties. The seven stages also form the organising principle of ANIMA OBSCURA, albeit in a different order. The mutability of matter is embodied in the performance in the interaction between physicality and simulation. To put ideas into motion, the artistic team uses dance and digital projections connected by music.
III
The performance features Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem, mixed with Ein Schemen by Yannis Kyriakides, a contemporary “re-composition” of Brahms' Requiem for choir, harp and electronics. Brahms' Requiem is not a funeral mass but music that offers comfort to the bereaved. Music for the living, in other words, with great melodic richness and emotional intensity. Kyriakides calls his composition “a dream landscape with fragments of Brahms that appear and disappear in a disorderly manner”. Brahms' music represents earthly life; Kyriakides' electronic soundscape is like an echo that provides access to another time dimension and parallel reality, with room for flashbacks, flashforwards and a different dance language. The choreography reflects Brahms' emotional and deeply human text. This is sensitively conveyed through a strongly varying physicality per scene. Whereas Linning's choreographies often focus on a single movement idiom, this performance constantly opens up new registers. One moment the dance is detailed and refined, the next it is performed with brute force.
IV
The mysterious practices of alchemists seem far removed from our lives, but even today people are driven by a desire to rigorously extend their lives. The “immortality industry” is booming business. Tech giants promise to increase the duration and quality of life in an unprecedented way through their data, bio and brain engineering. A market that is expected to be worth $600 billion by 2025.
V
Some people freeze themselves, hoping to be brought back to life one day. Sometimes only the head is preserved – for transplantation or digital uploading. But can you still call yourself a human being? That depends on who you ask. Transhumanists believe that we can control our evolution and become an optimal version of ourselves if we free ourselves from our physical limitations. ‘Organisms are algorithms,’ says futurologist Harari. This belief that everything that exists can be translated into digital data is called ‘dataism’. According to this reasoning, humans are nothing more than information processing systems. Once the analogue information from our brains can be converted into digital data, we can replace the old hardware.
VI
Behind this thinking lies a mechanistic view of man. It reduces man to brain activity, and ignores the body. In other words, dataists do not dance. Because dancers know: consciousness is embodied. Moreover, we live with billions of microbes in our bodies. We are not our brains – we are many.
Not only large tech companies are tinkering with our DNA, worldwide there is a growing group of do-it-yourself biohackers, from noble to naive. That is exciting and scary. Because the chance that new technologies will proliferate is real. We also see that consequence in Anima Obscura.
VII
Perhaps all creative art stems from a desire for immortality, but dance relates to that desire in a tragic way. Dancers train daily to transcend their physical limitations, but are constantly reminded of their finiteness – their careers are short after all. Choreographers can also feel the hot breath of time. For Nanine Linning, one life is not enough; an extra hundred years would be welcome. Her work expresses fascination and discomfort with biohacking. She experiments with technological innovations within dance to raise questions about the role of technology in the world. The performance thus becomes a test space for the future of the performing arts and hybrid humanity – between body and projection, physical and digital presence. Frightening for some, promising for others.
Jappe Groenendijk is a philosopher, writer and dramaturge. He is the house dramaturge at Theater Rotterdam. Besides Nanine Linning, he works with Alida Dors and Ryan Djojokarso.
The music of Anima Obscura
Brahms’ requiem is not a funeral mass that accompanies the deceased on their way to the afterlife, but music that offers comfort to the survivors. Music for the living, therefore, with great melodic richness and emotional intensity.
Yannis Kyriakides calls his recomposition ‘a dream landscape with fragments of Brahms that appear and disappear in a disorderly manner’.
Johannes Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem
The term “requiem” is derived from the Latin word requies, meaning “(eternal) rest.” It refers to the sacred Roman Catholic requiem or a religious composition commemorating the deceased.
Ein Deutsches Requiem by Johannes Brahms is a composition for soprano and baritone solo, choir, and orchestra. The work consists of seven movements that Brahms composed between 1861 and 1868. As a Protestant, he chose passages from the Old and New Testaments of a Lutheran Bible as the basis for his work. He used these texts as inspiration to create his own verses.
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Except for movements IV and VII, the movements are based on biblical texts that depict the transition from mourning to consolation. Changes in tone, tempo, and time signature often mark the transition from one biblical text to another. In general, the tone of the seven movements becomes lighter towards the end, which emphasizes the consoling and hopeful character of the piece.
The work deviates from the traditional Catholic requiem: instead of paying tribute to the dead, it focuses on consolation and hope for the living. Christ is never explicitly mentioned in the text — a conscious decision by Brahms to distance himself from Catholic church music. In every respect, this work is special and broke with the conventions of its time. It marked a breakthrough in Brahms' musical career and contributed to his international recognition. To this day, it remains one of his best-known works.
Clara Schumann wrote in a letter to Brahms about the Requiem: “The profound seriousness combined with all the poetic magic has a wonderful, shocking and consoling effect.”
Unlike contemporaries such as Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt, Brahms had a different vision of music. He did not want to create music for the future or experiment with new genres such as symphonic poems or musical theatre. His aim was to compose timeless music, based on quality and durability.
Yannis Kyriakides: Ein Schemen
A recomposition of Ein Deutsches Requiem for harp, choir and electronics
Like Brahms’ work, this composition consists of seven movements, which here flow seamlessly into each other. Each movement in Yannis Kyriakides’ work has a counterpart in the original Requiem. The title Ein Schemen is taken from a line from Part III of Brahms’ composition: “Sie gehen daher wie ein Schemen.” ‘Schemen’ is Old German for ‘shadow’ or ‘appearance’, and refers to the underlying theme of the work: the connection between life and death.
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Kyriakides plays with the idea that his recomposition is a shadow of the original. He describes his work as a kind of “zoom-in function” that allows the audience to linger longer in the most beautiful moments of Brahms’ music. He selected a number of passages from the original Requiem and let them fan out, inserting fragments in between in which the original work shines through.
The composition is written for harp, choir and electronics. The harp forms the most important distinction in the soundscape and creates a contrast with Brahms’ work. Kyriakides describes the harp as a “screen” through which the original becomes visible — a new angle on the first Requiem.
The composition is also Kyriakides’ own musical translation of Brahms’ text, in which the choir is framed by electronic sounds. Like Brahms, Kyriakides takes the listener on an emotional journey from mourning to consolation, but in a contemporary, layered musical world.
Irina Shaposhnikova on the costumes
Creatives
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Concept, direction and choreographyNanine Linning
Under the artistic leadership of Nanine Linning, Scapino focuses on artistic innovation. Nanine pushes the boundaries of dance by fusing dance with other art disciplines, couture, science, digital art and interactive technology. -
Video scenographyClaudia Rohrmoser
Video artist and motion designer Claudia Rohrmoser works at the intersection of visual music and expanded cinema. As a trained multimedia artist and musician, she explores the interplay between the musical and the visual within animation and live cinema montages. -
Costume designIrina Shaposhnikova
Irina Shaposhnikova is an artist and costume designer working internationally in theatre, opera, dance, film and special projects. She has a long and fruitful collaboration with Nanine Linning with whom she has collaborated eight times.
Music
Johannes Brahms „Ein Deutsches Requiem”
Yannis Kyriakides „Ein Schemen”
Live performance
Harpist Remy van Kesteren (performances in 2025)
Harpist Milana Zaric (performances in 2026)
Light design
Thomas C. Hase, Charlie Raschke (assistent)
Stage design
Nanine Linning, Christa Beland
Dramaturgy
Peggy Olislaegers
Assistent choreography
Kyle Patrick
Music advisor
Tido Visser
Philosopher
Jappe Groenendijk
Scapino Ballet Rotterdam
Scapino's origins lie in 1945. After five years of war, our founders wanted to bring back fun and imagination into life, especially that of children. Dance as social medicine. Scapino became the world's first professional dance company for children. An audience that had to be built up, school by school, generation by generation.
From the urge to make a difference with dance, Scapino reinvented itself time and again. We changed from a youth dance company to a company for everyone. And with the arrival in Rotterdam, the tide turned again. It was time for a new, contemporary repertoire with productions that let people experience something about the world we live in.
What remained is the need to connect. To make contact with others with imagination, beauty and dialogue. With programs in the field of talent development, community art, cultural education, inclusion and diversity, we inspire children, young people and adults. We develop the talent of choreographers and young dancers, professionals and amateurs. As the city dance company of Rotterdam, we are committed to meeting Rotterdammers and getting them moving in neighborhood projects. Dance as a social bonding agent and social bridge to a better future. Exactly how it all started.
Credits
Ballet masters
Débora Soto
Bonnie Doets
Federica Dadamo
Rupert Tookey
Atelier
Petra Finke
Loek van Cruchten
Marian Hoefnagels
Merlijn Koopman
Merel Kaspers
Jacqueline de Maat
Mara Wap (kleedster)
Production
Manon Paap
Hanna Laber
Majlen Hoogeveen
Bryndis Brynjolfsdottir
Technical production
Guido Verschoor
Head of technique
Bjørn van Doesburg
Sound
Marcel Wijngaards
Light
Pepijn van der Sanden
Video projection
Roel de Boer, Creative Technologies
Inspection, follow spot
Behrooz Vasseghi
Transport & inspection
Evert Achthoven
Stage production
Einstein Design
Firma Smits Theatertechniek & Decorbouw
Scènephotography
Jubal Battisti
Portret photos
Khalid Amakran
Iris Hendriks
Bryndis Brynjolfsdottir
Campaign image
Stef Nagel
Subsidies
Ministry of Education, Culture & Science
Municipality of Rotterdam
Sponsors
Brighter World
STOER
Preferred suppliers
De Jong Tours
Winter Audio Service
Ampco Flashlight
Wonderland & Geschikt
