TanzTage at the Posthof

Star choreographer delights with high-speed show

Wim Vandekeybus & Ultima Vez thrilled audiences at the Posthof Linz

(Bild: Gröger Günther)

When Wim Vandekeybus & Ultima Vez are on the program, the Posthof in Linz is packed to the rafters. The Belgian star choreographer presented his latest work "Void" at the TanzTage. Vandekeybus and his six dancers start up a high-speed movement engine and then the audience can marvel for 90 minutes. .

In "Void", choreographer Wim Vandekeybus tells the story of some eccentrics, both men and women, who find it difficult to fit into the mainstream.

Vandekeybus turns them into special people with special abilities. He approaches these oddballs with remarkable affection: One elicits the drum sounds not from the instrument he is carrying, but from his head; completely new body parts can be formed with balloons. Someone plays boomerang with simple white plates, only to end up smashing the porcelain. A snake woman slips into a really small box and yet only needs a few blinks of the eye for this acrobatic masterpiece.

(Bild: Danny Willems)

Vandekeybus is also responsible for the stage design, which he creates with several huge cloths. That's all the company needs: there is fighting here, the air is maltreated, but there is also space for wonderful curiosities in interpersonal relationships - and mostly at breathtaking speed.

Vandekeybus seems to be a skillful dramaturge, because as soon as the exerting dancers come to rest just a little, the choreographer hits new interpretative hooks. A few cuts here and there might have done this shimmering production some good. Nevertheless, stormy and enthusiastic applause for the magnificent dancers of Ultima Vez. 

Next TanzTage event: On April 15, Florence choreographer Sofia Nappi and her company will perform at the Posthof.