The movie combines the art of filmmaking with at least three other arts : dance, music and architecture.
Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker's "Rosas danst Rosas" is an abstract, non-narrative, minimalist ballet in the postmodern dance tradition. "Rosas danst Rosas" went into premiere in 1983 and has remained a staple since. (The movie version is shorter than the usual performance time.) Beloved in Belgium and abroad, the work has inspired generations of admirers and received hommages such as a light sculpture.
The movie is set in the former "Technical School" of Louvain, designed by architect Henry Van de Velde. At that time abandoned, the school was later comprehensively renovated and given another role. Even in its abandoned state the building hung on to its qualities such as proportion, regularity, legibility and functionality, which is probably why it caught the eye of Mrs. De Keersmaeker, a great lover of mathematical structures. The same setting also allowed games on themes such as repetition, transparency and reflection.
Since the dancers' costumes are somewhat reminiscent of school uniforms, some critics have interpreted "Rosas danst Rosas" as a tale about young women being ironed into conformity. Other interpretations and impressions abound - are we talking about patients being cared for/imprisoned in an institution, about adults mentally revisiting their girlhood ? Is this some parable about humans abandoning the many marvelous possibilities of their bodies in favor of everyday banality ? Your interpretation, I'd say, is as good as mine.
Whatever the deeper meaning, if any, '"Rosas danst Rosas" is mesmerizing. However, it is hard to say why. Perhaps it is proof of the cumulative effect of repetition. Take a piece of paper and begin to draw a maze, using only the simplest of lines and leaving a little blank island space here and there ; after a while the drawing will spring to life, creating its own eddies, crosses and narrows. Or install not one but two mirrors facing each other : it will result in a picture of startling complexity. A room with walls fully covered in mirrors might generate images so rich in both information and illusion that they might stress the brain.
Anyway, I leave you to enjoy the movie by yourself. Being a Belgian, I'm off to sip a Louvain beer while singing the national anthem - or at least the first sentence of it. (About the only ones who know the full lyrics are professional athletes with too much spare time on their hands.)
Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker's "Rosas danst Rosas" is an abstract, non-narrative, minimalist ballet in the postmodern dance tradition. "Rosas danst Rosas" went into premiere in 1983 and has remained a staple since. (The movie version is shorter than the usual performance time.) Beloved in Belgium and abroad, the work has inspired generations of admirers and received hommages such as a light sculpture.
The movie is set in the former "Technical School" of Louvain, designed by architect Henry Van de Velde. At that time abandoned, the school was later comprehensively renovated and given another role. Even in its abandoned state the building hung on to its qualities such as proportion, regularity, legibility and functionality, which is probably why it caught the eye of Mrs. De Keersmaeker, a great lover of mathematical structures. The same setting also allowed games on themes such as repetition, transparency and reflection.
Since the dancers' costumes are somewhat reminiscent of school uniforms, some critics have interpreted "Rosas danst Rosas" as a tale about young women being ironed into conformity. Other interpretations and impressions abound - are we talking about patients being cared for/imprisoned in an institution, about adults mentally revisiting their girlhood ? Is this some parable about humans abandoning the many marvelous possibilities of their bodies in favor of everyday banality ? Your interpretation, I'd say, is as good as mine.
Whatever the deeper meaning, if any, '"Rosas danst Rosas" is mesmerizing. However, it is hard to say why. Perhaps it is proof of the cumulative effect of repetition. Take a piece of paper and begin to draw a maze, using only the simplest of lines and leaving a little blank island space here and there ; after a while the drawing will spring to life, creating its own eddies, crosses and narrows. Or install not one but two mirrors facing each other : it will result in a picture of startling complexity. A room with walls fully covered in mirrors might generate images so rich in both information and illusion that they might stress the brain.
Anyway, I leave you to enjoy the movie by yourself. Being a Belgian, I'm off to sip a Louvain beer while singing the national anthem - or at least the first sentence of it. (About the only ones who know the full lyrics are professional athletes with too much spare time on their hands.)
