Concept & choreography – Suzy Blok & Christopher Steel
Music composition & recording – Stefan van Campenhout/Motel Bokassa
Dancers – Suzy 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
Technician – Peter Lemmens
Recording engineer – Ward van Groenland
Music recorded at Studio Vuurland, Utrecht
Production Manager – Willy Smit
Production assistant – Marloes 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.