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(world premiere 19 February 2022, Schouwburg De Lawei (NL)

Concept, choreography, scenography and costumes: Samir Calixto
Performers: Samir Calixto & Erika Poletto
Lighting design: Pavla Beranovà | Music: Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell
DIDO ÆNEAS US & ALL is a co-production of Matter Affects (NL), Scenario Pubblico (IT), Schouwburg De Lawei (NL)/ Steptext Dance Project (DE) and Dansverkstæðið (IS).

The opera Dido and Aeneas, written around 1688 by the English composer Henry Purcell, is a milestone in the history of Western music and culture. The opera, inspired by books V and VI of Virgil’s Aeneid, focuses on the tragically ended love story between the two mythical characters, yet goes far beyond that. It is by exploring the boundaries between romantic and spiritual love in this epic work that choreographer Samir Calixto embarks on the journey of this new creation. Shedding light on our incessant desire for our other half – and the curious paradox of our constant state of loneliness – this new work will look at love from a wider spectrum. It will confront our limited view of romantic love against a broader, more universal love that lies in mutual freedom and understanding our place within a larger scheme – a theme so recurrent in the choreographer’s body of work.
In this new piece, accepting one’s inherent state of loneliness defines a personal journey to become a more conscious human being. Two dancers – with Calixto himself – will venture on this physical journey in which the intensity of the dance will reveal the many nuances of what we define as love, in a profound search for its ultimate meaning.