© Levi Fanan

Holland Festival: Atomic Joy

Ana Pi
Fri 5 Jun ’26 - Sun 7 Jun ’26
Joy as a form of resistance. Eight performers bring an intense, energetic dance between urban groove and Afro-diasporic heritage.
Fri 5 Jun ’26
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Sun 7 Jun ’26

What power does joy hold in the face of a collapsing world? How can joy become a form of resistance? With Atomic Joy, Brazilian choreographer Ana Pi shows how joy can function as an active force: something that sharpens the senses, sets bodies in motion and brings people together. Here, joy becomes a way of making space for new forms of togetherness and imagination. 

Performed by eight young dancers from the Paris street dance scene and inspired by the energy of dance battles, Ana Pi creates a space where tension and defiance meet. Ana Pi previously played at Holland Festival in 2024; her performance The Divine Cypher was selected that year as one of the HF Young Favourites. 

The new performance Atomic Joy draws on dance practices from the Transatlantic African diaspora, in which movement is passed down from generation to generation, often in times of struggle. This history is palpable, yet the work is equally oriented toward the future: each gesture connects memory with the desire for a shared horizon. 

Set to a live composition by pianist CHASSOL, Atomic Joyunfolds as an energetic, layered dance in which tenderness, technical virtuosity and raw power coexist. In this way, ATOMIC JOY becomes a jubilant and hopeful reimagining of reality. 

On June 7th Ana Pi will guide a dance workshop, Joy is not a metaphor, in which you are invited to experiment with joy as inspiration.

Credits

direction Ana Pi concept Ana Pi choreography Ana Pi dramaturgy Ana Pi kostumes Ana Pi objects Ana Pi ensemble Naïs Haidar, Anna Yvray, Manèkè Som, Hachim Biiskui, Ibrahima ′Ibrah′ Biteye, Celia ′Babyface′ Bonus, Amin Hasnaoui musical composition CHASSOL lighting design Bia Kaysel technical direction Bia Kaysel consultant in historiography and dance criticism Marie Pons production administration Jenny Suarez production NA MATA LAB distribution NA MATA LAB with support from Rencontres chorégraphiques internationales de Seine-Saint-Denis, Pinacoteca de São Paulo, AMANT center for contemporary art, Fonds Haplotès, Caisse des Dépôts, Association Les Bazis, Charleroi Danse - Centre Chorégraphique de Wallonie-Bruxelles, CND Centre national de la danse, La Briqueterie CDCN du Val-de-Marne, DRAC Ile-de-France, Jerimum Ideias

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