PERFORMANCE DETAIL

"I can imagine that this title evokes the ancient story of Icarus and his father Daedalus, their struggles and hardships as they tried to escape their imprisonment in the infamous labyrinth. This epic tale is not just a fascinating story from a distant past—it symbolizes the eternal human longing for freedom, whether in its physical, spiritual, or any other imaginable form.
Dancers, and their way of life, represent a unique form of imprisonment. They find themselves in solitary confinement, trapped within their own bodies, which they use to express themselves and present as a ‘work of art.’ For centuries, their art has been defined by their desire to defy gravity. They jump, spin, lift, and throw each other into the air.
All the movements in this work symbolize time, space, or an environment in which strength, weaknesses, doubts, aggression, and failure can coexist. In essence, it is a stylized and amplified depiction of many of our everyday struggles and efforts."

Jiří Kylián

World premiere on 23 January 1997 at Lucent Danstheater in The Hague (Netherlands), Nederlands Dans Theater 1