THE DOG DAYS ARE OVER 2.0

In THE DOG DAYS ARE OVER (2014), the dancer is defined as a pure performer, striving for perfection. Subjected to a complex, mathematical, vigorous and exhausting choreography executed in forced uniformity, the eight dancers ultimately slip up. And then their masks fall. Thanks to its radical form, this piece, when first performed, revealed the audience’s perception of dancers, choreographers, spectators and the cultural policy at the time. Ten years later, these questions are still relevant given current political and social trends.

With the reinterpretation by a new generation of artists, other questions also become part of the work: when does a project become part of the canon? How do we deal with dance heritage? Can we bring sustainability to the performing arts by recreating an existing piece? What can we pass down to a new generation while the original cast is still there? Can the latter collaborate in the transmission before the essence of the work is gone?

Jan Martens believes it is important that the artistic team of 2014 is involved and recognized as part of this reprise. Searching for what is possible, the dancers helped determine the final form. The duration of the performance, the endless repetitions, the jumps, and so on were tested and checked off with the original cast in 2014. They carried the work for four seasons, giving them vast knowledge and experience, which is incredibly valuable to the new cast.