'A seminal piece of postmodern dance:' Rosas danst Rosas comes to Chapel Hill

"Rosas danst Rosas," a postmodern dance performance, is coming to Carolina Performing Arts for its Chapel Hill debut. The performances will be held on Oct. 9 and 10 at 7:30 p.m. 

The act was created by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and debuted in Brussels in 1983; the dance has gone on to be performed internationally.

“It’s become a seminal piece of postmodern dance that has been hugely influential in the field of dance since then,” said Christina Rodriguez, associate director of marketing and communications at Carolina Performing Arts. “It’s really known as this mesmerizing, very feminist piece of work.”

Rodriguez said it is significant that "Rosas danst Rosas" is stopping at Carolina Performing Arts on its current tour. The tour only has two stops in North America: New York City and Chapel Hill. The rest of the tour will be in Europe.

“It’s a really rare opportunity to get to see this piece be performed by the company," Rodriguez said. "They don’t come to the U.S. very often. To get to see this really world-renowned company that’s been around for so many years, to get to see them perform this hugely influential work, is a pretty great experience.”

The event is even more exciting for Amanda Graham, associate director of engagement at Carolina Performing Arts and performance historian who earned her Ph.D. in visual and cultural studies. When Graham was a professor, she taught her students about Rosas and De Keersmaeker’s work as a choreographer.

Graham said she hopes people who don’t know much about dance or don’t usually attend live performances will give "Rosas danst Rosas" a shot.

“I think it is also about challenging yourself to see things that you wouldn’t normally see," Graham said. "I think that this is a challenging performance, but that it is also very gratifying in that it gives a lot back, and it teaches us to watch performance not through a narrative lens. I think dance is a little more like poetry in that it’s abstract and it’s gestural. In going to this kind of dance, you’re teaching yourself a different way of seeing and a different way of reading.”

De Keersmaeker said viewing "Rosas danst Rosas" live, rather than on video, is a unique experience. 

“Ever since something like YouTube has arrived on the scene, contemporary dance has found its way to much larger audiences,” De Keersmaeker said in an interview with Floor Keersmaeker on Rosas’ website. “Yet this form of transmission still doesn’t compare to the simple, authentic experience of a live performance, in which spectators and artists share the space-time of a live performance.”

Carolina Performing Arts and University Libraries are hosting a dance takeover on Oct. 3. From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., dancers will perform a part of the dance from "Rosas danst Rosas" in multiple stages at Wilson and Davis Libraries. 

These pop-up performances will feature Durham-based dancers and UNC dance students.

“Our hope, generally, is that people, when they do come to a CPA performance, whether it be this one or any other, that it will actually inspire them to come back,” Rodriguez said. “And not just to see paid performances, but to go to live performances or arts events in general.”

After the show on Oct. 9, there will be a post-performance gathering at Crossroads Chapel Hill with Durham Independent Dance Artists.  It will provide an open forum for audience members to process and discuss what they saw and took away from the act, even if they don’t have any knowledge of dance, Graham said.

“As a dance historian, I think it is very important for people to not just attend performances, but also to think about them,” Graham said.

Tickets for "Rosas danst Rosas" are available now and are $10 for UNC students.

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