OUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE
OUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE is a performance with eight dancers inspired by the words of the young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. Thunberg travels to several international climate conferences to call on everyone to action. After all, the tipping point, the point at which climate change is irreversible and life on earth will change drastically, is getting here dangerously fast. "Everything needs to change. And it has to start today. "Greta's words are clear, they call us to act. Some sentences she repeats over and over, like a mantra, clear and to the point. The dancers have the impossible task to "articulate" the speech with their bodies, letter by letter. On the one hand, they are like the Greek "choir" that empathizes with the audience and responds to it. On the other hand, they themselves become the message. OUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE searches for the turning point. When is hearing understood? When becomes watching acting?
We’ve come here to let you know that change is coming whether you like it or not. There are no grey areas when it comes to survival. Now we all have a choice. We can create transformational action that will safeguard the living conditions for future generations. Or we can continue with our business as usual and fail.
That is up to you and me.
We must all do the seemingly impossible.
I hope my microphone was on.
I hope you could all hear me.
- Greta Thunberg
Concept, direction, choreography: Nicole Beutler
Dramaturgy: Igor Dobricic
Created in collaboration with the dancers of Norrdans (SE): Rebecka Berchtold, Sam Huczkowski, Nastia Ivanova, Seung Hwan Lee, Chang Leo Liu, Jade Stenhuijs, Jonathan Starr, Alban Ovanessian
Dutch version made in collaboration with the dancers: Rob Polmann, Chris Guerematchi, Lucinda Wessels, Hellen Boyko, Marjolein Vogels, Liam McCall, Melyn Chow, Robin Lesley Nimanong
Understudies(NL): Liah Frank, Margarida Constantino
Music: Gary Shepherd
Video, Scenography, Light: Erno Aaltonen
Costumes: Nicole Beutler, Annette Hägglund
Répétiteur: Isaac Spencer (during creation), João Dinis Pinho (on tour NL)
Techniek (NL): Prem Scholte Albers (licht) en Martin Kaffarnik (geluid)
Coproduction: Norrdans, Nicole Beutler Projects
With the support of (NL): Goethe-Institut Niederlande
reviews
"With "Our house is on fire", choreographer Nicole Beutler delivers a slap in the face - but also a painfully beautiful work that could hardly have been more urgent.
Nicole Beutler delivers the message crystal clear, explicitly and with a liberating simplicity and power that a child can understand. It is a force against all the studied lies about infinite growth on a finite planet. "Our house is on fire" is a liberating mix of genres; the dancers build artistic installations with their bodies, play theater, shout, speak sign language.
The sometimes almost childish simplicity, like when the dancers throw around an inflatable earth ball, makes the performance extremely strong; it's like Greta Thunberg herself taking shape, a little girl with braids who sees the lies of power ,"How dare you!"
It is an emotional slap in the face that does not go off for picks; it's not just me who wipes away the tears when the light goes out. the standing ovations and shouts of joy make the salon suddenly feel packed with people. And, in fact, full of hope."
- Allehanda.se