A performance about the exhilarating power of re‑creation.
Seven dancers inherit the fractures of a disintegrating world, then claim a white canvas to craft another. After After sets a double meaning in motion: re‑creation (the deliberate act of making anew) and recreation (leisure and play). This fertile duality fuels the work in response to an era that feels spent and near – if not past – its limits.
With power dynamics on full display and systems of economic and environmental extraction taking a toll on people and planet, we face the question: what if the after is already here? With it comes an opportunity: what if recreation, forged by the labour of re-creating, builds our language for what’s next?
After After is an ode to that attempt. The body becomes a versatile narrator in an exploration of how making anew can turn into joy. But it begins with unmaking. Unconventionally, rather than resisting, the performance surrenders to an ending – dying from within – then surges back to life.
Bringing together the dancers’ individual voices and ways of moving, they create a vibrant playground, where touch is a public, radical practice. Frame by frame, they fold care into their collective agency. This is how movement becomes a form of repair. Their movements flow ever more fluidly across styles until the performance erupts with fiery energy.
A cathartic dance at the crossroads of time.
Press
Arno Schuitemaker demonstrates his mastery of transformation in After After with a new composition by Aart Strootman and an exquisite lighting design by Jean Kalman. — Critic's Choice (Theaterkrant)
Recent Japanese studies show that watching sports is good for mental health. They should measure the effect of After After: plenty of space and energy coursing through your body as a spectator (…) It’s exhilarating to be part of that. — De Groene Amsterdammer
After After hypnotizes. — Het Parool
Creation: Arno Schuitemaker
Performers: Jim Buskens, Camilla Bundel, Ashley Ho, Frederik Kaijser, Orla McCarthy, Angelo Petracca and Paolo Yao
Dramaturgy: Miguel Melgares
Music: Aart Strootman
Light design: Jean Kalman
Scenography: Jean Kalman, Arno Schuitemaker
Costumes: SADAK
Technical production: Vincent Beune, Ruben Lijbers, Sander Schaart
Rehearsal assistant: Mark Christoph Klee
Vocal coach: Maria Magdalena Kozłowska
Production: Björn van Raaij, Lynn Gommes
Publicity: Jannes Heidinga
Photos: Peteris Viksna
The movement material is created in collaboration with the performers.
After After is a production of SHARP/ArnoSchuitemaker and is supported by Fonds Podiumkunsten, Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst, Ammodo, Fonds 21, and BNG Cultuurfonds. With many thanks to Julidans/ITA.