Over Once…Never…and again…
“Dit is een werk over dansers die zichzelf overgeven aan een staat van serieuze speelsheid. De regels van het ‘spelen’ blijven overeind en fragmenteren en herschikken de structuur van het werk. Stukken dans en zeer specifieke improvisatie-opdrachten zijn gecreëerd om de zintuigen van de dansers te overdonderen en zo te zorgen voor een gevoel van authenticiteit, vrij van oordeel, vol noodzakelijke handelen en …groove.
Vanuit die groove, net zoals in jazzmuziek, zijn de dansers als componisten. Begin en eindes gaan door elkaar heen, en herhaling zorgt eerder voor chaos dan voor houvast. Wat eerst daar was, is nu ergens anders.
In dit werk is het zoeken naar betekenis een afleiding van het ‘zijn’ in het moment.
– Jermaine Spivey
“Working with Jermaine has been the most transformative artistic experience of my life. It was an unfolding, an invitation to go further, to truly look, to hear with my eyes, to see with my ears, to trust, to explore… to PLAY. This awareness turned the studio into a living landscape of possibilities, where growth and discovery were constant companions.
Every rehearsal felt like a dialogue, a space where curiosity was welcomed, and exploration became the foundation of this creation. His genius lies not only in how he creates movement, but in how he awakens something deeper within the people he works with. For him, the most important part is not only the piece itself, but the journey we take together in building it. Each day he guided us into unfamiliar territory with care and vision, creating a process that was challenging, layered, deeply human and personal.
This work, rooted in improvisation, carries risk and unpredictability. No performance is ever the same; each becomes special and alive in the moment, shaped by our skills, choices, connection and the space we share—all through Jermaine’s direction. That is why being in this process is such an exciting feeling.
I feel blessed to be part of this piece, with an amazing team of talented people. Most of all, I’m grateful for the audacious artistry and generosity Jermaine brought into every lesson, into every moment. I can’t wait to keep playing, growing and evolving within the world we created. Thank you Jermaine <3“
Nathan Allen about Once…Never…and again…:
“The existing happenings are easily forgotten—shapes on the wall, the tightness of my laces, the moisture of the air—yet in collaboration they create and frame each moment. They create the sauce. Life, like sauce, can be overwhelming, the flavor profile, a feat to decipher. The acidity, hard to distinguish. We learn to taste, as flavor fleets. There, in the fleeting we find our playground, letting uncertainty inform our falling bodies. Individuals emerge from the sauce daring into full being focus, here individuality lies; Inside of risk, glimpses of truth are observed. Never certain, we brave on with a recipe in our minds and some tools in our belt, we tinker and dance our way through, around, out of, and into.
Choices are made inside necessary ingredients. Playing happens within the rules. Jermaine introduced the game and taught us the rules, now we play!”
