Taking place between February 15th and March 12th, 2008 all over the city the LOW Dutch-Flemish Festival will have loads of great programs in various categories of the arts. Check out our selection of excellent programs below!
Theater / Dance / Literature
While We Were Holding It Together
March 6-7th – 8 p.m.
MU Theater
Onstage everything comes to a standstill to such an extent that one begins to sympathize with the five performers who must hold their poses until the point of collapsing. The only movements they are permitted are those necessary for speaking lines and making facial expressions. The frozen poses nevertheless fit wonderfully well into a wide variety of imagined stories about a rock band, about a picnic, or about existence itself. The piece negotiates the relationships between the imaginary and the physical, the personal and the collective, the role of performer and the role of spectator. While continuously provoking shifts in perception and sense, Ivana Müller creates a show that is disquieting, moving and yet genuinely funny.
Wewilllivestorm
March 4-5th – 7 p.m.
Merlin Theater
A theatrical poem made up of extraordinary images, some lumber and string
STAU
March 12th – 7 p.m. & 9 p.m.
Millen
áris Theater
Traditional theatrical boundaries are dissolved to examine the relationship between audience and performer
Hotel Modern: Camp
March 22-23rd – 8 p.m.
Trafó House of Contemporary Arts
A moving depiction of the Holocaust in a large-scale model of Auschwitz with giant puppets
Jazz / Contemporary / Classical
Capilla Flamenca
March 2nd – 7:30 p.m.
Palace of Arts, Festival Theater
The vocal and instrumental consort Capilla Flamenca takes its name from the choir of the court chapel of Emperor Charles V. When Charles left the Low Countries in 1517, he took his best musicians with him to accompany him as a ‘living polyphony’ in Spain. Today’s Capilla Flamenca recruits its specialized musicians from Flanders so as to bring to life the unique timbre of this brilliant 15th-16th century music in its full authenticity. From their polyphonic repertoire, Dirk Snellings composes unique, multi-dimensional programs in cooperation with prominent musicologists. The integration of different artistic disciplines and the creative interaction between musicians results in particularly valuable contributions to today’s cultural scene.
The Night of the Unexpected
March 1st – 7 p.m.
Traf
ó House of Contemporary Arts
A one-night festival, an experience, an evening full of surprises reaching across styles and genres
The Piano Trio Revisited
March 10th – 7:30 p.m.
Trafó House of Contemporary Arts
A joint performance by two piano trios with very different styles
Amsterdam
Baroque Orchestra and Choir
March 12th – 7:30 p.m.
Palace
of
, Béla Bartók National Concert Hall
Founded and conducted by Ton Koopman, this is a world-famous ensemble
Film
Happy Family
March 6th – 8:30 p.m.
Örökmozgó Film Museum
A romantic comedy by Martin Koolhoven, introducing an elderly tomato grower who is put on the amorous path by his half-Moroccan grandson, the film broaches subjects like integration, sex among aged people and the couch potato generation. Instructed by his grandson Omar (rapper Yes-R), the timid gardener Thijs courts the joyous Belgian, Jacky, much to the displeasure of his two daughters. But grandfather and grandson are undaunted, especially when the former learns that the latter is in love with a Turkish girl and has to prove himself to her brother in an olive oil wrestling bout. New love develops alongside family relations, during which lots of very Dutch greenhouse tomatoes are thrown about. (2006, 82 min.)
Forgotten Fools
March 7th – 6:30 p.m.
Örökmozgó Film Museum
A Bosnian psychiatric patient in a Hungarian refugee camp for 14 years wonders why no one has come for him
4 Elements
March 9th – 6:30 p.m.
Örökmozgó Film Museum
A 4 chapter documentary about people who work with the four elements, where trust is of existential importance
Stages
March 11th – 8:30 p.m.
Örökmozgó Film Museum
After his parents divorce, 17 year-old Isaac’s introverted nature is of deep concern to his distraught mother
Pop Music
Lolly Jane Blue, Roosbeef, Péterfy Bori & Love Band
March 8th – 9 p.m.
A38 Ship
It’s ladies night on the ship, with Hungarian Bori Péterfy, and two young Dutch artists, Roosbeef and Lolly Jane Blue taking the stage. They might best be described as “singer/songwriters,” a genre that often crosses national borders. Singer and pianist Roos Rebergen (18), behind her Pipi Longstockings look, belts out songs with a voice that sounds like a foghorn yet maintains a tonal purity, while from her piano comes the three-four time of a waltz. Lolly Jane Blue has gained notoriety for her experimental video “Worms” and puts on a strong visual performance. Bori Péterfy has been a member of the Árpád Schilling-led Krétakör theater since 2000, with rock being her other major influence.
LOW Power Party: Kraak & Smaak, Turntable Dubbers
March 1st – 10 p.m.
Merlin Club
Dutch, Flemish and Hungarian musicians unite to spice up the
Ziggi, Irie Maffia, Dj Atlas
March 7th – 10 p.m.
A38 Ship
The urban music of the Hungarian Irie Maffia and the Dutch Ziggie join power for a night
Cinetrip Sparty – LOW Edition
March 8th – 9 p.m.
Rudas Bath
Get your swimsuit and head for a hot steamy party at the baths
Dates: February 15th – March 12th, 2008
