AYP holds this exclusive with Julia Robert and Rudi Cole, creator of ∞ {Infinite}, a production that fuses ‘the most delicious dance’ with a spiritual calling, making the theatre a 21st century temple.
Could you tell us more about the origins of HUMANHOOD? How did your distinct backgrounds and artistic influences come together to shape the initial vision for your company?
We never had in mind creating own own choreographic work, let alone having our own dance company. In 2014, we were two young dancers with a prolific career who, all of a sudden and for personal reasons, found themselves without work but deeply in love with each other. Our work started from our genuine passion for movement and dance, and our admiration for the artistry of the other. We were interested in the source of movement, and explored how we could move from a place of purity. This means, we had to invest hours and hours, days and days, unpacking and undoing the styles and techniques we learned both through our training as well as our work with other companies and choreographers. It was a very intense period where we felt called to question our motives for movement, and humbly practiced until we were so exhausted that we weren’t anymore in control of our form or flow. Slowly we started to feel freer in our expression and found a sense of transcendence from technique. Fast forward to the present moment, our practice invites dancers (as well as any individual) to go through this process and connect to what deeply moves them.
In 2016, we founded HUMANHOOD with the vision to expand human potential through the power of movement.
∞ {Infinite} is described as a “Dance Theatre Meditation.” Could you elaborate on what sets this production apart from a traditional dance show, and how meditation plays a role in both the performance and the audience’s experience?
We normally come to the theatre to SEE, to witness, to be entertained and impressed. While this is also a part of 
{Infinite}, it is just secondary. We want audiences to see beyond the veil of the physical, to float between the seen and the un-seen… we hope they can feel this not only through the interconnectedness of the dancers as they move as one organism, but through the invitation to close the eyes and ‘see’ within.
This new piece explores the five elements—water, fire, air, earth, and (implied) ether. How do these elements influence the choreography, music, and stage design? In what ways does each element shape the movement quality and emotional tone of the piece?
The way we create is purely intuitive. We don’t plan, we don’t do intellectual research, or explore specific themes. Instead there is a ‘title’ which symbolises a concept, in this case ‘infinite’, and we simply show up in the studio, with the dancers, with the collaborators and then we create, or channel…
As the production develops, we start having a very clear sense of how we want things and how we feel things coming together. It’s a feeling, rather than a pre-thought process. This means that, all these realisations (like the journey through the 5 elements) come in retrospective, and we see them clearly once the piece is being fulfilled. They are revealed through elements such as specific light colours, the quality of the movement of the dancers or the energy the music carries.
Once you experience the piece it becomes very clear.. the waves of the dancers moving as one in an initial section, the earthy and grounding movements of another section, the red lights and tribal jumps in another, the soft gently airy quality of a kalaidoscope…
∞ {Infinite} aims to unite the external performance with the viewer’s internal awareness. How do you envision this merging of outer spectacle and inner reflection? What choreographic or staging strategies help cultivate that sense of shared consciousness?
We like simplicity, simple things that everyone can do, yet powerful if we simply allow ourselves to ‘feel’. For this production, we invite audiences to close they eyes, and feel within. We don’t think of this as a ‘strategy’ but rather a simple invitation to one’s own inner space, or should I say ‘inner stage’ 😉
∞ {Infinite} seems to demand a heightened level of presence from the dancers. How do the performers prepare physically and mentally to embody this expansive concept? Do you integrate meditation, breathwork, or other mind-body practices into rehearsals?
Our practice, which we share with our company dancers during daily company class, integrates physical, psychological and spiritual preparation. All three need to be activated and welcomed into the studio so we can all be fulfilled as artists, and dedicate ourselves to discover new things everyday. You could say that our practice is like a movement meditation, that invites you to be ‘in the moment’, to listen and to move from a state of openness. It takes a certain kind of presence to embody such practice, and it definitely takes honesty to oneself as well as to everyone else’s you share the space with.