Listen Here: These Woods is an invitation to go into nature. Set to the soundtrack of the forest, of wind rustling through the leaves and birds zipping by in the branches, the forest is the dancers’ home, as they draw the audience into feeling the dynamic aliveness of the forest.
The performance becomes a beautiful exchange between forest, dance and audience, as we all momentarily share space with other living creatures in nature. At that moment, a question arises: what if, at least during these hours while we are here, we all belong in the forest? In Listen Here: These Woods, the forest is not dominated by humans, but it becomes a full collaborator to cultivate a wider sense of awareness of our surroundings and our bond with nature.
These Woods is part of the double bill Listen Here, along with Listen Here: This Cavern. The two dance performances are inspired by the work of American composer Pauline Oliveros. Through her compositions, she suggested that true listening is a vibrant and creative act. For Daniel Linehan, it is a continuation of his research on the interconnection between species, nature and environment.
Filmed at the Sonian forest in collaboration with Kaaitheater in August 2021. Premiere July 2021, Dansand! Festival, KAAP, Oostende.