Theater Artemis

Boulevard wholeheartedly connects with the city and its inhabitants, particularly now. We asked ten makers, whom we’ve trusted for years, to create something especially for ‘Powered by Boulevard’. These projects are made for and sometimes with specific groups from the city. Their progress can soon be followed online by everyone.

One crisis, four words: “These are strange times.” You can shake your head at that sentence, you can sigh emphatically or stare into the distance. But you can also dance, as Theater Artemis discovers. This spring the idiosyncratic theatre group from Den Bosch saw an interesting phenomenon. Our social life imploded, but TikTok exploded. In thousands of short videos adolescents and adults proudly showed their corona dance steps. No lack of inspiration: in supermarkets customers continuously came up with new choreographies, in order to make it to the self-checkout alive. A new language of movement was born, was the conclusion of birthday boy Artemis; the company celebrates its 30^th anniversary in 2020. All the more reason for some merry disruption, among which the open air project Social Disdancing.

Artemis will pop up four times at different squares near supermarkets in town, where they’ll start a dance with shopping carts. Without a predetermined choreography; purely conceived in the moment. Enticing? Yes, particularly since Theater Artemis invites curious stock boys and girls, customers and passers-by to join in. A total of 20 shopping carts are available. No, you don’t need a coin to join. A copper ensemble provides some lively music.

Shopping dances
Artemis’ Sem Jonkers: “if we ever rid ourselves of the virus permanently, these corona dances will vanish as well. But I hope that forty or fifty years from now entire generations will remember this avoidance game, including the mutual connection it caused. That almost makes the shopping cart dances some kind of cultural heritage.”

With Social Disdancing Theater Artemis wants to create room for spontaneous encounters. Sem particularly hopes that the shopping cart dance will bring adolescents and the elderly closer together; two age groups that had to distance themselves from each other. “But now that the Bossche kermis [funfair in the city] is canceled, I can’t rule out that a few people might want to grab their chance and play bumper cars as well.”

And you can join in!
We invite you to come and move with us. On a parking lot, a square or in a street near you. Together with a group of youngsters we get together, at an appropriate distance. Always bearing in mind the 1.5 meters, we carefully take to the floor. Accompanied by live music. Surrounded by a supermarket scenery and passers-by.

Are you open to new encounters and new experiences? Then register at: aanmeldingen@artemis.nl. Please give us your name, age, telephone number and the neighborhood you live in. We contact you as soon possible after having received your registration.

Dates and locations
8 August
Paleiskwartier
’s-Hertogenbosch

12 August 
Rosmalen

15 August
Graafsebuurt Noord
‘s-Hertogenbosch

Concept: Jetse Batelaan and Sem Jonkers 
Directed by: Sem Jonkers
Design: Calle de Hoog 
Performed by: Sanne Bokkers, Moriah Dekker, Rick van der Steen 
Music: Keimpe de Jong, Arno Bakker, Randell Evron Heye, Patrick Votrian.