19. honduras: Huellas [TRACES] – 2005
Theatre Embassy (The netherlands), in collaboration with the art collective Arte Accion (Honduras), created the performance HUELLAS – Art as a dialogue about violence in contemporary Central America.
Violence in Central America is part of everyday life. It occurs in the form of domestic violence, violence against women, violence caused by immigration, and the economic violence of increasing poverty. Every day the violence grows more and more and the population becomes more and more anxious and passive.
In Central America, notorious street gangs are also a major threat to the population. The gangs, with names like Salvatruchas, control large parts of cities and neighborhoods. While Europe and North America are only watching, Honduras has deployed the army against these Maras.
The show was worked on for three months in Honduras and consisted of a combination of music, dance and theatre. Songs were based on lyrics by the important Latin American writer and historian Eduardo Galeano, adapted from the Dutch jazz singer Heleen van den Hombergh. Designer Arlette Muschter and choreographer Maaike van Dijk created passionate images with music and dance, which took the viewer into a world of chaos, violence and desperation. Berith Danse directed the dancers and actors of Arte Accion with her assistant Caroline van Leerdam.
HUELLAS (“Traces”) is about the violence in the region, about the traces it leaves and the strength it has. In HUELLAS this violence is not condemned, but the language of the theatre exposes the phenomenon and encourages a broader dialogue with the audience to break through passivity.
After the premiere in Honduras in, 2005, HUELLAS was performed in 2006 in various Central American countries. In 2006 the performance was also seen in Europe.
Partner organisation: Arte Accion
Place: Honduras, Tegucigalpa
Director: Berith Danse
Executors TE: 5
Local artists: 11
Target group: General audience
Audience: 20.000
Amount: 32 performances
Workshops: 25, 250 participants
Volunteers: 3 (Ingrun & Alfredo) )
Participating Organizations: TNT el salvador, Chiantlan nicaragua, Plan Nicaragua, Casa de la Cultura Leon Nicaragua, Caja Ludica guatemala, Copan de las Ruinas Honduras.
Finances: Oxfam-Novib Netherlands, Kunstenaars en Co Amsterdam, Theatre Embassy, ICCO
Theme: Geweld
DVD & book: Huellas/ Traces 30 minutes by Andrea Montenegro & Monica Schokkenbroek
Watch on youtube
