(Breaking) The Back Of Love

 

Concept & choreographySuzy Blok & Christopher Steel

Music composition & recordingStefan van Campenhout/Motel Bokassa

DancersSuzy Blok, Christopher Steel, Anny Mokotow, Robert Rappange

Light deign – Marc van Gelder

Decor design – Blok&Steel and Harry van der Louw

Costume design -Paulette Bosschung

TechnicianPeter Lemmens

Recording engineer – Ward van Groenland

Music recorded at Studio Vuurland, Utrecht

Production ManagerWilly Smit

Production assistantMarloes Hermelink

 

Following the two separate but thematically joined duets: Still You and Belong. Blok&Steel create a work for two couples. (Breaking) The Back of Love explores the sexuality and eroticism of relationships. Lies, tears, laughter and challenges – the games we play on the back of love. With a language that is rough and romantic, four dancers/performers merge text and music to lift the lid off the games we all play in relationships.

Premiere: May 1992 at Springdance Festival NL

(Breaking) The Back of Love is a co-production of:  Stichting Satori (Blok&Steel), Springdance festival, Eurodanse festival Mulhouse (F), Stuc Leuven (B) and is supported by the City of Amsterdam.

Performed at:

Stuc – Leuven: 26-30 April 1992

3 & 4 May Springdance NL

22 & 23 Lantaren/Venster Rotterdam, NL

29 May Eurodanse Mulhouse (F)

2, 3, 4, 5, 6 June Felix Meritis Amsterdam, NL

October/November 1992:

Dance Umbrella tour: London The Place, Bristol, Brighton, Swindon, Newcastle, and Manchester.

Edinburgh – The Assembly Rooms

Glasgow – The Tramway

Groningen Grand Theater

Eindhoven De Effenaar

Nijmegen O42

Den Haag Korzo Theatre

Amersfoort De Lieve Vrouw

Antwerpen – Berchem CC

Gent – De Vooruit

Kassel – Dokumenta

Press quotes*:

Blok & Steel combine dance with overwhelming acrobatics. Comical and sensual moments, but most thrilling dance for which the four dancers need all the muscles they have. Champagne bottles and bodies fly through the air. Blok & Steel are powerfully developing their style that combines modern dance with acrobatics. (Breaking) The Back of Love is the perfect modern dance performance which can also attract a large audience.

Gerdie Snellers – De Volkskrant (NL)

(Breaking) The Back of Loveis a sharp, playful and dynamic performance about love and partners, sex and relationships. Moments of stillness alternating sharp, rhythmic whirling scenes full of humour and energy.

Tuur Devens – Markant (B)

Viltality and energy are the main characteristics of Blok & Steels newest production (Breaking) The Back of Love. There’s an overwhelming amount of acrobatic material; bodies fall, climb, roll, hang and throw themselves from all positions at a raging tempo. They do this with an excellent sense of timing. This piece is definitely a theatrical spectacle full of dare and humour.

Ine Rietstap – NRC Handelsblad (NL)

Bottles and chairs fly through the air, people literally leap at each other – a high level performance with lots of humour.

Rene Frank – De Telegraaf (NL)

Blok & Steels language is rough and romantic, serious and funny, experienced and naive. All four dancers know how to use their solid dance background to create a good and exciting piece. The most exciting scene in this striking performance is the throwing of champagne bottles at each other, which demands extremely secure timing so as not to become a blood bath.

Isabelle Lanz – Trouw (NL)

The combination of acrobatics and modern dance is safe in Blok & Steel’s hands. Scenes take place in high frequency and impressive dynamics.

Opzij Magazine (NL)

The performers…are certainly athletic but their sense of humour and daredevil mischievousness are happily as strong, as developed as their highly energetic dance technique. An immensely diverting group to watch, definitely one of the high points of Dance Web.

Mary Brennan – The Herald (Scotland)

(Breaking) The Back of Loveis a thoughtful piece, very cleverly devised and performed with immense style. Stereotypes….are sent up with a keen wit and the multiplicity of partnering work is skilfully contrived…these are well trained performers with a dance ability to match their gymnastic skills.

Christopher Bowen – The Scotsmen ((Scotland)

During the second evening of the dance festival in The Factory during Dokumenta, the Dutch group Blok & Steel offered a whirlwind performance about eroticism, sex, competition and power. …very fast and energetic sequences, danced in an acrobatic, athletic style alternates with wonderfully quiet moments with sensitive, unusual movements.

Eva-Maria Hoerster – Kreis Kassel (D)

*All quotes are translated from the original  language except for  those in The Herald and The Scotsman.