A dance to touch the heart — Jade van den Hout

Alison, Chilton and Jade share a drive to bring dance to others and awaken the physical expression of dance in people as purely and powerfully as possible. As a team they research their own relationship with dance and what it means to share and create dance space for others. This process has lead to the interactive dance performance A dance to touch the heart in which various dance stories and encounters are shared and where the audience is invited to participate, watch and join.

Some dance alone at home, something that remains a secret, others dance together in the club or at family parties, social dance that can bring us connection. We seek out dance in the theatre to find comfort or inspiration. Dance is rooted in ancient rituals. We dance to overcome fear, to make ourselves visible and to celebrate. We dance for ourselves, for others and together. There is no one-answer to the question why we dance. The energy of dance is spread through all our bodies and is carried by multiple stories. We experience a meaning of dance through dancing.

This project is part of the broader research Cracking the Shell of Dance—an ongoing exploration into the origins of the motivation to dance. As dance speaks from the body and our sensory experience, the possible meanings are always moving and growing. Through this research, Jade develops seasonal projects that invite people to participate, with the aim of celebrating the joy and impact of dance by bringing people together.