Ballet des Extinctes
Ballet des Extinctes
Attention! Extremely rare birds have been spotted in Amsterdam… and you have the chance to observe them up close. Your binoculars are laid out and ready to go. Let the beauty of these birds captivate you in Ballet des Extinctes.
In this 25-minute site-specific performance, the audience receives binoculars and is invited to spot two birds. Inspired by the hoopoe, a rare bird species living around Amsterdam and very popular among birdwatchers, the makers step into the perspective of a bird that is constantly being watched. What does it mean to become an object of observation and recreation? From an ecofeminist perspective and through humor and absurdity, Ballet des Extinctes examines parallels between birdwatching and the ways nature and women are observed, desired, and controlled.
About the makers
Vogel is a collective founded by emerging makers Isabel van Hauwe and Michelle Verheij. They met while studying at the Toneelacademie Maastricht, where they discovered a shared ambition to investigate and expose the mechanisms and power structures underlying contemporary issues such as climate change and sexism. Through their collaboration, they found common ground in ecofeminism: a movement that argues that the exploitation of nature and the oppression of women stem from the same capitalist and patriarchal structures. Using humor, absurdism, and interactive forms, they make these complex themes tangible and encourage audiences to critically reflect on their own position and assumptions.
credits
Concept and performance: Isabel van Hauwe and Michelle Verheij
Director: Marloes Blokland
Performative audience guides: Felice Davids and Marloes Blokland
Costume design: Lou Seidel
Photography: Tom Philip Jansen
Attention! Extremely rare birds have been spotted in Amsterdam… and you have the chance to observe them up close. Your binoculars are laid out and ready to go. Let the beauty of these birds captivate you in Ballet des Extinctes.
In this 25-minute site-specific performance, the audience receives binoculars and is invited to spot two birds. Inspired by the hoopoe, a rare bird species living around Amsterdam and very popular among birdwatchers, the makers step into the perspective of a bird that is constantly being watched. What does it mean to become an object of observation and recreation? From an ecofeminist perspective and through humor and absurdity, Ballet des Extinctes examines parallels between birdwatching and the ways nature and women are observed, desired, and controlled.
About the makers
Vogel is a collective founded by emerging makers Isabel van Hauwe and Michelle Verheij. They met while studying at the Toneelacademie Maastricht, where they discovered a shared ambition to investigate and expose the mechanisms and power structures underlying contemporary issues such as climate change and sexism. Through their collaboration, they found common ground in ecofeminism: a movement that argues that the exploitation of nature and the oppression of women stem from the same capitalist and patriarchal structures. Using humor, absurdism, and interactive forms, they make these complex themes tangible and encourage audiences to critically reflect on their own position and assumptions.
credits
Concept and performance: Isabel van Hauwe and Michelle Verheij
Director: Marloes Blokland
Performative audience guides: Felice Davids and Marloes Blokland
Costume design: Lou Seidel
Photography: Tom Philip Jansen