Through its longstanding collaboration within Europe Beyond Access, Holland Dance Festival has built a close relationship with the Colombian dance company ConCuerpos. During the recent DanceAble Symposium, choreographer Laisvie Andrea Ochoa offered audiences a powerful preview of FOCARIS. She is also a familiar face to the participants of Good [old] Times, having enthusiastically created one of the choreographies and led an inspiring workshops earlier this year. Adding to this special connection, Holland Dance Festival ambassador Dennis Massar is part of the international cast.
On 11 September, ConCuerpos presents the European premiere of FOCARIS at Korzo: a powerful and moving performance in which dance, live music and accessibility come together as an integral artistic whole.
In FOCARIS, fire becomes a symbol of encounter, transformation and inner strength. Within a richly layered choreography, the personal and the collective continuously intertwine. Each performer—whether with or without a disability—reveals their own inner fire through dance, live music, sound and visual storytelling. The result is a performance in which differences are not emphasised but celebrated, creating a powerful and harmonious whole.
As Colombia’s first inclusive dance company, ConCuerpos developed this production together with a new cast of dancers from both Colombia and the Netherlands. The result is an international performance that demonstrates how dance transcends borders and brings people together.
FOCARIS has been created according to the principles of Universal Accessibility. Rather than being added as supportive features, sign language and creative audio description are fully embedded within the artistic dramaturgy. This allows audience members with visual or hearing impairments to experience the performance independently, while simultaneously enriching the experience for all visitors by adding unexpected artistic layers.
Following its successful premiere in Bogotá, FOCARIS now makes its European debut. A compelling and inspiring performance that demonstrates how inclusion can be more than a starting point—it can become a powerful source of artistic innovation.
