BURN TO BE CONTINUED A CONCEPT FOR NEW DEVELOPMENT UNITED COWBOYS GREC FESTIVAL THEATER FESTIVAL BOULEVARD

BURN TO BE CONTINUED A CONCEPT FOR NEW DEVELOPMENT UNITED COWBOYS GREC FESTIVAL THEATER FESTIVAL BOULEVARD

BURN to be continued - a proposal for further collaboration in order to stimulate exchange, research, participation and presentation Introduction on the concept Burn. Since 2014, United Cowboys surprises press and audience with the ongoing performance Burn: The movements of the dancers, the music, the visual elements, they are all equally part of the work; therefore, terms like decor, musical assistance and choreography don t fit in tradional sense There is a difference with plastic art or more static performance art though, in that sense that there are definitely different attention spans, although not narrative (..) reminds of grey clubs in Berlin, of raves like Burning Man. Once the association is set, you feel the urge of joining, which only increases the power of Burn...Burn grabs your attention, not with big stories, but with imaginative images, strong performers and penetrating music. It provides a world (..) that continuously surprises" (***** Theaterkrant over Burn van United Cowboys-Theaterfestival Boulevard Den Bosch 2014) For Burn a biotope is built, in which dancers, performers and musicians, The audience is invited to walk around to observe and absorb this world from all angles and in his own timing. United Cowboys challenges the spectator to either stay or leave to come back later. Burn could last infinite. With Burn, United Cowboys investigates the mentality of both the dancer / performer and the spectator. Where does the dancer focus on, without clear front, no fixed audience either; where does the audience look at, now that there are no set seats nor a predetermined viewing time. Ceaselessly images arise form the dance world and the fine arts. These surprising poetic images and the bodies that shine from endeavour, determine the content and place the whole at high altitude In the main, there is a sympathetic atmosphere of vitality, a charming directness that wins over the audience with a Wink. (Thomas Linden Rundschau Germany)

Burn has been performed in several theatres, on location and in museums. The concept offers opportunity to vary in form and extent, to be determined together with the organizing parties and partners. From the experiences done in the past, the concept Burn opens up to further development to create opportunities to: - Contribute to new developments in performing and presenting Involve the audience in processes of creation and presentation Arrange meetings and exchange between artists and between artists and audience Lower barriers between Art forms and stimulate new experiences for new audience Stimulate exchange and collaboration between artists from different countries Give space for young artists to introduce themselves With the GREC Festival (ES) and Theatre Festival Boulevard (NL) we find mutual interest in these goals. By exchanging possibilities and accumulating experience, network and scope, we believe that together we can contribute distinctively to the actual International art and performing circuit. Introduction on United Cowboys Live-art Company United Cowboys is settled in Eindhoven (NL). With a firm core and an international group of dancers connected to the Company, United-C creates performances on the borders of dance, performance and image. The 2 artistic leaders, director Maarten van der Put (originating visual artist) and choreographer Pauline Roelants, create performances, set on their individual skills and expertise, but with a binding connection in style and vision on theatre. United Cowboys portrays the truthfulness of Human, his physical purity and the possibility to create an entirely new reality. Trump card: the visual and physical language and the powerful, performer related, concise virtuosity. The oeuvre shows patchy constructed portraits, zooming in to reveal intimate behaviour. Intimacy of thought, emotion, body. Of that what lives beneath the surface, but is usually obscured by civilization and reason, or hidden behind embarrassment, shame and fear. In the last 10 years United Cowboys has initiated a large amount of concepts and performances to do research on similarities and differences in art. Former projects have learned that there is an important task to contribute to further development of an (international) art circuit to stimulate collaboration and exchange in order to come to new forms of creation, participation and presentation.

Mission With United Cowboys we invest in tracking and contributing in new developments, we need this knowledge and input, not only for inspiration, but to feel home. We are not there to give answers we are there to ask questions. Investing time, collecting space and cumulating energy, and only being happy when being part of the current tendencies. We make dance and other performances, and installations; We perform in theatres, on location and in museums We have an Art House, in the centre of Endhoven, in which we show new developments in the field of live-art; focussed on international performance, and accompanied by music and fine arts. More and more in our work we investigate the mentality of performing, as well as the mentality of the spectator. What does the performer give, where is the line between generosity and pleasing or exhibitionism; We ask the performer to take a stand in his performing and in the time, space and energy he occupies in the total scenery; And then, what does the spectator look at if he has a choice from what is offered? How long will he stay, what is the meaning of what he sees through his eyes? We are not into humouring what the people want, we ask them to take responsibility themselves to watch and choose and decide on their own experience and form their own content of what he sees. But we give handles, we invite, we reassure, because we are not there to bully, maybe to just tease a bit, but never to bully or provoke unnecessarily. Most important in International Collaborations is a mutual search for recognition and challenge. What are we investigating? How does that relate to what the Art world is up to now? How can we contribute? And what does an international exchange contribute to this larger context? With the combination of creation, participation and presentation, United Cowboys aims for a more intensive, mutual yield. Not only presenting work, but also involving local artists and the audience, by communication, discussion and being part of the working process. How is the work created? What are the artistic starting points? What is the cultural background? We believe that knowledge; by watching and experiencing is the right method for learning and developing. The objective is to contribute to long-term collaborations between countries in Europe; our quality lies within art; we believe that the combination of creation, participation and presentation has the strength to take away obstacles, prejudices, fear and restraint. The outcome of these collaborations could have an influence on policymakers and spectators in the sense of thinking more cross over, thinking in meanings of art in larger rate; in a broader geographical context and in transboundary criteria. Art is overwhelmingly important in the process of innovation and redefinition of cultural context, because it uses tools as imagination, wonder, beauty and truth; tools of all times, all people and of all cultures.

This is the mission statement on which we performed in collaboration with Festivals and Theatres in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Canada. It is also the statement from which we look for further collaboration and exchange in the upcoming years. Burn to be continued In the period 2017-2020, the research for new forms of participating and presenting will be further developed with Burn to be continued, The concept is starting point for collaboration with GREC Festival and Theatre Festival Boulevard (NL) Purpose is to create an inspiring environment, in which dancers, artists, musicians and performers perch at a location at the Festival, build a biotope, and invite both other artists as spectators to join this temporary community. Aim is to exchange inspiration, skills and knowledge; Method is by creating work, participation by local artists and audience and presenting new work. In July 2017, United Cowboys will create this world in Barcelona, during- and in cooperation with the Grec Festival. There she will build a substantial biotope. In the biotope there is room for an ongoing process and performance; Also there will be master classes and open rehearsals, Further, space will be created for local artists to do investigation and show short performances. The biotope will reach to infinity, while she will be open from 1o AM till 10 PM, every day. In cooperation with Festival Boulevard, a young artist from Holland will participate and be introduced to the Spanish circuit. In this way, we create research and development space, not behind doors, but open and transparent and to be followed by every one interested. And therefore a unique event. In August, the mini society will be transported to Den Bosch (NL) to continue the biotope at Festival Boulevard, adopting local artists and inviting audience. One or more participants from the Spanish biotope will be invited to come along and introduce themselves in the Dutch biotope. This collaboration is the start of an ongoing investigation, that could travel along more Cities, Festivals and Events.