with the support of the Flemish Government
Jan Martens / United-C
2010I CAN RIDE A HORSE WHILST JUGGLING SO MARRY ME is a performance at the interface between dance and theatre. It was Jan Martens’ first touring show. The performance centres on five young women who live in today’s mediatized world.
I CAN RIDE A HORSE WHILST JUGGLING SO MARRY ME presents five young dancers varying between girl and woman in a raw and delicate manner that puts thing into perspective. In a world dominated by social media, they all seek to express their individuality. They want to be the only one and the best. The pressure to excel, to be heard, to be approved is tremendous. In I CAN RIDE A HORSE WHILST JUGGLING SO MARRY ME, Facebook is used as a metaphor to aptly represent that constant search for recognition: “likes”, posts and status updates constitute the road to self-affirmation.
“Besides a prize for the courageous bravura of the five girl-women running around defiantly, I CAN RIDE A HORSE WHILST JUGGLING SO MARRY ME also deserves a prize for best title.”
- Francine Van der Wiel, NRC Handelsblad, 05 July 2010
“In I CAN RIDE A HORSE WHILST JUGGLING SO MARRY ME by the young choreographer Jan Martens, five screaming and dancing young women ironize about the trade among friends in identities on Facebook: - Blok: ‘His performance has the force of a slogan. As though he wants to rub it in: I want you to think about this’.”
- Suzy Blok in interview with Annette Embrechts, De Volkskrant, 02 July 2010
PREMIERE: 15 May 2010, Melkweg Amsterdam (NL)
BY: Jan Martens and dancers
WITH: Anastassya Savitsky, Steefka Zijlstra, Michele Hauswirth, Martina Griewank and Marta Kosieradzka
COSTUME: Olivier Waelkens
LIGHTING DESIGN: Elke Verachtert
DRAMATURGY: Peter Seynaeve
DURATION: 50 minutes
CO-PRODUCTION: United-C
