Kiss the One We Are

Daniel Linehan asks the dancers: “What moves you?” From then on, the audience witnesses the emergence of intimacy among the nine dancers: physical indications received, reactions, bodily memory... A sensitive, multi-layered dialogue on the universal joy of dance develops between the performers and the spectators.

Discovered after his unique solo piece, Not About Everything (2007), Daniel Linehan has established himself as one of the most innovative and stimulating choreographers of his generation. Kiss The One We Are, his latest creation, is part of “DANCE ON, PASS ON, DREAM ON,” a large-scale European cooperative project addressing ageism in the dance community and in society. Continuing the exploration of his relationship with dance in the solo piece Body of Work (2019), Linehan invites nine dancers to question the role dance plays in their lives and the reasons that lead them to practice this form of expression. Of different ages, backgrounds and cultural horizons, the performers retrace their personal trajectories and shared stories in words and movement. Shifting between past, present and future, in profound connection with the audience, this forward-looking collective experience creates a thrilling, complex choreography, celebrating the sheer delight of dance with subtle agility.

Text: © Jérôme Provençal 

Photo: © Danny Willems