Solo | 15min | 2024
#holocaust #bolero #biographictheater #English
The Dutch dance teacher and dancer Roosje Glaser survived six concentration camps thanks to her quick-wittedness, courage and chutzpah. Among other things, she taught SS officers in Auschwitz ballroom dancing and etiquette and also sought out lovers among them.
After her liberation, she danced Ravel's Boléro in front of her fellow refugees in the Malmö reception camp, which she called in her own words 'my liberation dance', as it was the moment when she truly realized she was safe and free.
The incredible biography of this courageous woman is the starting point for this Solo piece. The dramaturgical threads are based on Roosje's biographical events that are just as relevant from a historical perspective as they are in our contemporary context.
Working with the Bolero, I took the repetitive structure of the music, using repetition also in my choreography as a metaphor for Roosje's resilience, who had to start over and over again, holding on unconditionally to her dignity and values.
Trailer of Roosje's Bolero
Concept | Choreography | Stage set | Lighting design | Projections | Performance
Rosalie Wanka
Music
Bolero by Maurice Ravel
Photography
Mehmet Vanli