The Butterfly Project kicks off the Holland Dance Festival
80 mothers and daughters as dancing butterflies populate the center of The Hague

The Holland Dance Festival will take place from October 30 thru November 18 in The Hague with 70 performances, 100 workshops, the Dansparade and a wide variety of other activities. A recurring element in the festival is The Butterfly Project by the Japanese choreographer Shusaku Takeuchi in which 80 mothers and daughters from the area of The Hague will participate. On October 27, the center of The Hague (in ‘de Passage’, Central Station, and the Bijenkorf) will be the domain of the dancing butterflies from 13:30 hrs. On November 4, they will descend on the Dansparade, and from November 9 thru 11, the performance will play in the Atrium of the City Hall of The Hague. For more information and the last tickets, go to www.hollanddancefestival.com.

  
The Butterfly Project
The impressive Butterfly Project under the direction of Shusaku Takeuchi will see its world premiere at the eleventh edition of the Holland Dance Festival. The Butterfly Project is a recurring element in this year’s Holland Dance Festival; 80 large butterflies (dances by mothers and daughters from the area of The Hague) will descend on the city and cause any number of unexpected encounters. The absolute climax will take place at the performance in the Atrium of the City Hall of The Hague. Around one hundred performers will participate in this exceptional production: professional dancers, musicians, a choir, and amateur dancers (mothers and daughters). The purpose of the project is to spread the message of peace and quietude in these hectic times. The dance consists of a series of movements that are executed on hundred times slower than normal. The highly concentrated dancers move as living statues, and thus create a sense of rest, quiet and peaceful reflection in these hurried times. The dance has been composed so that anyone can learn and enjoy it. 

Shusaku Takeuchi
In October 2005, the choreographer, philosopher, designer and visual artist Shusaku Takeuchi performed an impressive ceremonial solo in the building of the United Nations in New York; the Butterfly Dance. Afterwards, it became clear to him that this dance had the potential to grow into a community arts project that could spread the message of peace all over the world. On invitation, Takeuchi performed his Butterfly Dance a second time in the UN building in Geneva, after which a few more public performances followed. Takeuchi’s ideal is to perform this community arts project with mothers and daughters all over the world after the Holland Dance Festival.

Note for the editor:
For more information and high-resolution photo materia( also from participating companies),  please contact the marketing and publicity department of the Holland Dance Festival, 070-3616142, or send an e-mail:

Marijt Helmink, marijt@hollanddancefestival.com

Images can also be downloaded from: http://www.hollanddancefestival.com/website/page/nl/persfotos