SOFTMACHINE: THE RETURN

SoftMachine: The Return is a project that weaves together a decade of experiments in dance-making through the critical lens of Asian artists. The presentation is envisioned as a performance that manifests in the form of dance, incorporating lecture, demonstration, and documentary.

This version will present two solo performative experiences, each reflecting on the artist’s biography and practice. First is an intimate portrait of Rianto’s (Banyumas, Indonesia) search for love within the spectrum of dance, gender, and tradition in Indonesia. With Surjit Nongmeikapam (Manipur, India), the work will narrate his journey from the marginal to the political, encapsulated in a dance of resilience that transcends the history of Manipur’s ethnic conflicts.

From political resilience to complexities of gender – SoftMachine: The Return is an honest, radical self-portrait. It captures a generation growing old together while redefining the future of Asian contemporary dance. 

The SoftMachine project was initiated in 2012 as an independent survey of the choreographic landscape in Asia, with a focus on the ecologies of independent dance makers, in response to the persistence of exoticism in the cultural production of contemporary dance. It culminated in the original production of SoftMachine, which premiered in 2015  in Singapore. The project subsequently toured and was performed in more than 60 shows internationally until the pandemic struck in 2020.

Purchase your full-festival pass (passe-partouts) and day passes here. Individual event tickets available here. Follow our social media channels for updates and more!

Admission: €27.50/ €19

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