Once she was safely back on solid ground, we asked Jakobe and her colleagues to answer five questions. A conversation about navigating the balance between order and chaos, learning to let go, and what it means to start creating with a new technique.
1. Could you briefly tell us what your performance is about?
Jakobe: “Bher—also the root word for ‘to carry’—is a quest for self-determination. The protagonist swings back and forth between rigid order on one side and undefined chaos on the other. The starting point is rigid order. After breaking free from it, she discovers that chaos, too, has its limitations. Ultimately, she ends up somewhere in the middle: the space between order and chaos where self-determination proves possible.”
Photo: Renée Cuylaerts
“Hair suspension plays a central role in this. The pendulum is our protagonist, who moves beneath a fixed point above the stage via hair suspension. Other disciplines featured include spoken word—poetry, spoken word, storytelling—dance, and partner acrobatics.”
2. What exactly did you work on during the residency week at the Oude Badhuis?
“We focused on the interplay between the various disciplines and created a ‘backbone’ for our performance. Hair suspension, spoken word, dance/partnering, and juggling all bring their own unique dynamics. During the residency week, we harmonized those different dynamics and aligned them with the story we want to tell with Bher. We got to know each other on stage and worked toward a first performance at the end of the week.”
“Hair hanging connects you with your body in a different way. Your whole body is screaming, ‘Don’t do this!’”
3. What is it like to delve into hair hanging for this performance—a technique that is relatively new to you?
“Since I do physical work, the circus techniques have to align with the story we want to tell. Hair hanging offers us a direct link to the essence of our story. It’s indeed completely different from partner acrobatics and juggling, where you repeat a movement hundreds of times to master it.”
Photo: Renée Cuylaerts
“Hair hanging connects you with your body in a different way. It starts with the ritual of tying the hair, which guarantees your safety. And then there’s the direct connection with your own nervous system. Your whole body screams, ‘Don’t do this!’ Through breathing and a physical search for weightlessness using rotational techniques, you can release that tension and reach a state of ecstasy—a very special feeling. I immersed myself in the technique through an internship at Haareket/moved by matter and also received close coaching from Oona De Cleyn, an aerial/hair-hanging artist with a background in the dance world.”
“I’m trained as a partner and floor acrobat. I’m used to creating with bodies and from the floor. By delving into this technique, I want to be able to look up, along with the audience.”
4. How does this technique influence your artistic creative process?
“That impact is decisive on both a technical and artistic level. The possibilities and limitations of the hair-suspension technique have a significant influence on how the piece unfolds.”
Photo: Renée Cuylaerts
“The high technical requirements mean we can’t just set up and perform anywhere. We need mounting points above our stage that can withstand heavy point loads. We also need a stage large enough to ensure a sufficient range of motion. Plus, a sturdy anchor point on a heavy counterweight and a truss that allows for partnering via counter-rigging. Learning to work with all these requirements has had a significant—educational and deepening—impact on our creative process.”
5. What is the next step in the development of Bher?
“We’re going to start exploring and refining the technical requirements of our piece. Initially, we’ll do this through workshops in the training hall at Ell Circo D’ell Fuego in SPRK, where we can work with trusses and rigging. During those workshops, we’ll focus on the use of pulley rigging—where a pulley system distributes the weight—versus counter-rigging, where a second performer acts as a counterweight. We also want to further refine the dynamics between spoken word and movement. In addition, we’re currently working on our documentation. We have several potential partners in mind whom we’d like to approach, and we’re putting together a proposal for a grant application.”
“Bher” is a performance in the making featuring Jakobe Geens, Diederik Vos, and Elke van de Casteele. Jason van Lith contributed during the technical residency at Het Oude Badhuis. ECDF supports the artists by offering a technical residency at Het Oude Badhuis and in our rehearsal space at SPRK.