whispers from within. /. Cape Ballet Africa
whispers from within
choreography&costumes : Wubkje Kuindersma.
dancers: full company Cape Ballet Africa
light: Wilhelm Disbergen
premiere 25th march 2025 Art Scape Theatre Capetown
In this choreography, we delve deep into the tender dance of intuition, capturing the delicate strength of our inner voices and the vibrant life force that binds us all together.
I find my heart resonating with the enchanting melodies of Summer and Spring from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, beautifully reimagined by Max Richter. This music, for me, begins as a gentle whisper—a subtle beckoning from our inner selves—only to swell into an exhilarating crescendo that echoes the unstoppable force of life and the profound interconnectedness we all share. It is not merely an expression of nature; it is an intimate dialogue with it. Each movement becomes a heartfelt conversation, where the instruments echo the earth’s timeless whispers.
Dance, as a universal language, transcends borders and speaks to souls no matter where they are in the world. I am filled with gratitude for the chance to connect with the remarkable, generous, and captivating dancers at Cape Ballet Africa. This marks my first creation in Africa, the continent of my birth.
photo above : Joshua Wiliams and Nicolas Laubscher in Kuindersma's "whispers from within". / photo taken by P. Seaby
choreography&costumes : Wubkje Kuindersma.
dancers: full company Cape Ballet Africa
light: Wilhelm Disbergen
premiere 25th march 2025 Art Scape Theatre Capetown
In this choreography, we delve deep into the tender dance of intuition, capturing the delicate strength of our inner voices and the vibrant life force that binds us all together.
I find my heart resonating with the enchanting melodies of Summer and Spring from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, beautifully reimagined by Max Richter. This music, for me, begins as a gentle whisper—a subtle beckoning from our inner selves—only to swell into an exhilarating crescendo that echoes the unstoppable force of life and the profound interconnectedness we all share. It is not merely an expression of nature; it is an intimate dialogue with it. Each movement becomes a heartfelt conversation, where the instruments echo the earth’s timeless whispers.
Dance, as a universal language, transcends borders and speaks to souls no matter where they are in the world. I am filled with gratitude for the chance to connect with the remarkable, generous, and captivating dancers at Cape Ballet Africa. This marks my first creation in Africa, the continent of my birth.
photo above : Joshua Wiliams and Nicolas Laubscher in Kuindersma's "whispers from within". / photo taken by P. Seaby
REVIEWS
Jan Kotzé, Thomas Larché in "whispers" / photo by P. Seaby
..." From personal experience, there were plenty of tears in the dark, too. First it was the music that got me: from the first tender notes of Max Richter’s recomposed versions of “Spring” and “Summer” from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, it was full-scale emotional surrender.
It’s to Richter’s take on Vivaldi that Dutch choreographer Wubkje Kuindersma has created whispers from within, an exuberant, expansive physical meditation on the intricate paradoxes of human existence, an exploration of what it is to express outwardly the sometimes unsayable intimacies that dwell inside all of us."... .."Kuindersma had the dancers expand in all directions as if reaching for the outer limits of the universe, and then retract inward, pulling together and gathering as a collective, visually connecting a line between the expansiveness of human experience and the desire for closeness with one another. This contrast of grand, outward gestures and something quiet and private within somehow gave the dancers scope to reveal aspects of themselves that felt incredibly real and raw. It was generous dancing, at once poetic and potent, the exuberance and aliveness of the dancers beautiful to witness. There was a sense, too, not only of what a fantastic time the dancers were having surrendering to the drama of the music, but also of their inherent respect for Kuindersma’s kinetic imagination. It felt as though the choreographic process had itself been an opportunity for the dancers to soar, and that the sensation they received in return for their hard work was bliss." ... Daily Maverick , Keith Bain 
Leane Theunissen in "whispers" / photo by P. Seaby
..."The programme opens with the world premiere of whispers from within, choreographed by renowned Dutch choreographer Wubkje Kuindersma. It is set to Max Richter’s recomposition of ‘Summer and Spring’ of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. On opening, the nerves of some of the dancers shone through a bit at the start of this piece, but these soon settled into a rather dynamic performance that beautifully embraces gender fluidity in both costume and movement. Though the full company oozes with talented dancers, all deserving of praise, the energy of Joshua Williams and Leane Theunnissen is something rather magical to behold."...
SCENE IT , March 26, 2025 |
Julia O'Keeffe, Tayla de Bie in "whispers" / photo by P. Seaby
whispers from within"...and the exquisite lyricism in Wubkje Kuindersma’s whispers from within."...
..."Dutch choreographer Wubkje Kuindersma has conceptualised whispers from within around Summer and Spring of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, recomposed by Max Richter. The arrangement by Richter provides a new spin to Summer and Spring and Kuindersma taps into the “whispers within” Summer and Spring to evoke a lyrical conversation between bodies in space. Kuindersma who was born in Cameroon by the way has also designed the costumes. The male and female and dancers are dressed in skirts which drapes them and blends gender. It is gentle and affirming and invites us to gaze at bodies and space, rather than focus on gender. I loved that. These are bodies interacting with one another and gender is not a concern as we hang on to each movement and breath that they take in the tangle of connections and whispered conversations."... The Cape Robyn , March 27, 2025 
Mia Coomber, Julia O'Keeffe in "whispers" / photo by P. Seaby
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