Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker’s “Rosas Danst Rosas"

Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker’s seminal “Rosas Danst Rosas", was created in 1983 for her then new four-woman company. It was only her third piece, yet it has had a sharp resonance with dance audiences from then on. "Rosas" established her as a powerful new voice on the European dance scene and has now been re-created by more than 1,500 people all over the world, as part of a project to celebrate the work’s 30th anniversary. Beyoncé famously used the choreography of "Rosas" in her music video of song "Countdown", in addition to those from the classic film "Funny Face" starring Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XY3AvVgDns The movement of "Rosas" is simple: the company has already received more than 10 hours of footage as far afield as Shanghai and Patagonia. Instructions for the project can be found at www.rosasdanstrosas.be in order to create your own "Rosas Danst Rosas". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQCTbCcSxis The videos will be shown at the Kaaitheater in Brussels, where “Rosas Danst Rosas” had its 1983 premiere. It is said that De Keersmaeker will perform the original piece with her company, the chair section with 20 female students from a Brussels school, including her daughter. The four women, seated on a diagonal, is the driving force for the project, performing compelling choreography through strict patterning. Audiences must replicate the repetitive series of exaggerated, everyday gestures set to Thierry de Mey’s score such as smoothing their hair and slumping forwards only to sit straight back up. Rosas project, as it has come to be known, has received footage from a variety of ages and nationalities, all sending their versions of the chair scene. Male groups have also submitted versions of the work which was originally identified as a feminist statement. Because of the success of this project, you can still upload your own version here We have our own version in the Dancewear Central office, but only for our enjoyment!