It is the confrontation with the two natural forces of our existence, birth and death, which is placed in the center of this musical dance performance. Based on the collision of two very personal events, the death of his father and the birth of his daughter, dancer and choreographer Ruben Reniers focuses in his current artistic work on phenomena related to death.
As a native Indonesian who grew up in the Netherlands, he is interested in Indonesian as well as European funeral rituals and farewell ceremonies – and how the different concepts of connecting the living and the dead are manifested in the dances, movements, touches and voices of those who mourn. Together with an international team of dancers, musicians and a drawing artist, he embarks on a quest to artistically bring together the different approaches of these cultures and of each one of us.
Hüster, Wiebke. “Bodenständige Bewohner Des Sommernachtsraums: Welchen Weg Nimmt Der Zeitgenössische Tanz? ‘Requiem Mangongkal Holi’ von Ruben Reniers Im ‘Dock11’ Führt Zurück Zum Ritual.” Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. September 27, 2021, sec. Feuilleton.
Sie schenken in wirklich berührenden Soli ihrem Schmerz, ihren Verlusten innigen Ausdruck, mitunter so stark, dass man sich an den deutschen Ausdruckstanz erinnert fühlt. Aber auch diese Anklänge haben hier ihre Berechtigung, in diesem sensiblen, ausbalancierten, beruhigend, schönen, erfindungsreichen langen Werk, an dessen Ende man sich tatsächlich ein bisschen so fühlt, asl hätte man ein heilendes, verbindendes Ritual miterlebt, ein Kunst-Ereignis, das seine Kraft für die Zukunft daraus schöpft, das Gemeinsame aller menschlichen Existenz, wie es sich in Ritualen ausdrückt, neu zu formulieren. (Wiebke Hüster)
Campanelli, Nicola. “Requiem - Mangongkal Holi, viaggio tra luce e tenebre di Ruben Renie.” Campadidanza, October 2, 2021. Link.
Requiem – Mangongkal Holi is an ‘emotional’ choreography, not always in focus, sometimes a little redundant, but which allows for an intense journey between light and darkness, between life and death. A commemorative and celebratory choreography that transports the audience to a remote place and another time, both inside and outside of us at the same time. (Nicola Campanelli)
Artistic Direction / Choreography: Ruben Reniers
Dance, Performance: Rebecca Jefferson, Annapaola Leso, Sean Roel Nederlof, Ruben Reniers, Melli Müller
Composition / Live Music: Konstantin Heuer, Bilawa Respati, Biliana Voutschkova/Mari Sawada
Stage / Puppet Theater / Live Drawing: Barbara Steinitz
Costume: Carola Volles, Juliane Längin
Light Design: Emese Csornai
Graphic Design: Studio Workshop | Saira Hussain
Artistic Collaboration: Melli Müller
Artistic Advise: Inang Lena Simanjuntak
Video: Marco Baass
Video Schnitt: Matthias Albrecht
Photo: Carlos Collado
Supported by Fonds Darstellende Künste with funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, as part of Neustart Kultur, TakeAction Förderprogramm Tanz. Cooperation partner: Rumah Budaya Indonesia/Haus der Indonesischen Kulturen Berlin, Schloss Bröllin, DOCK11.