the Conga Line Dancers….

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the Conga Line Dancers…. 2024 (continuing)

How do you find your place within a new community? The residents of De Tafelberg – a former young offender institution converted into a residential complex – can directly engage with this question through Moorman’s work.

year(s): 2024 (continuing)
context: De Tafelberg
commissioner(s): AAK, Levvel and Alliantie
coproducer(s): ulian Braakman, Lotte van Geijn, Marieke Gelissen, Martin Sämmer, Oliwia Otocka, Philip Stroomberg, Roberta Bratovic

Carefully designed socks, a small hand-folded box and a monumental tufted rug are used to introduce four distinct roles within the group dynamic. From conga line dancer and explorer to observer and team player.

The objects jointly form a welcoming gesture, within which form, colour and motion each play a meaningful part. The box, with its concealed message and hand-written signature, marks the ritual of admission.

The socks, with their trademark pattern of white, blue, red and purple dots, visually connect the residents in everyday life.

In the former gym, a monumental rug suspended from a hoist and pulleys descends to the floor, transforming the space into a choreographic playing field. Here, visitors are invited to participate in ‘Breaking out of the Conga Line’: a light-hearted exercise that involves letting go, moving against the tide, keeping your balance and finding your own rhythm within the collective.