Julidans: RI TE

RI TE brings two exceptional artists together on stage: choreographer and performer Marlene Monteiro Freitas, known for her radical, theatrical body language, and flamenco dancer Israel Galván, who breaks open the tradition from within. Both work intensely with rhythm, silence and physical tension, but they come from different disciplines and backgrounds. It is precisely this friction between contemporary performance and flamenco that drives their encounter.

This encounter takes shape in a minimalist, unyielding setting: a wooden floor, a wall, two chairs and a flickering neon light. There is no shelter in sight; the rest of the stage remains in darkness. Visibility here is a choice. Whoever wishes to meet the other must step into the light.

What follows is not a classical duet, but a playful conversation in body language. RI TE revolves around an encounter without pre-arranged agreements. There is no attempt at fusion or reconciliation. Flamenco remains flamenco, performance remains performance.

Yet reflections emerge. In timing, posture and detail, the performers recognise one another, like twins who see a resemblance but consciously maintain their distance. The choreography plays with attraction and repulsion, opening up and withdrawing. Movements begin and stop abruptly; gestures are initiated and then broken off. This results in an almost burlesque interplay in which humour and tension go hand in hand.

Flamenco appears in fragments: a posture, a glance, an exclamation that lingers. A recurring moment forms the heart of the performance: ‘olé’ becomes physical release, after which the gesture immediately evokes its opposite. Attraction turns into resistance, not psychologically but physically.

RI TE is thus not a demonstration of mastery, but rather a subversion of it: a unique encounter in which two strong artistic identities keep each other on edge, vulnerable and unpredictable.