The Physicality of Rootlessness

For one evening, Rodríguez presents two of his past works: Casa and Dador.

Videography: Jos Mauro Witteween Villagómez

CASA

Casa (2020) is a solo performance and the second work created under the notion of The Physical Rootlessness, a concept in which Henry defines and summarises recurring themes in his works such as migration, identity, the subconscious, individualism, loneliness, repression, greed and desire. While Carnem Exilui examines the migrant body and the idea of departure, CASA is a return, a focus to where the main character comes from. It dives into the layers of what makes and question our identity, our idea of homeland and simultaneously our relation with chaos and limitations. In this work, Henry references and quotes two Cuban choreographers of great influence such as Julio Cesar Iglesias and George Cespedes. Through the combination of his and their languages, this work exposes an absurd and in fact quite a realistic panorama of current events in Cuba, a raw vision of the constant struggle of people. It is not to educate or defend a political statement what fuels this work, but to touch, confuse and perhaps upset you.

The bolero “Esta Casa“ by Cuban born singer Elena Burke (1928-2002) is one of the main inspirations for the making of this choreographic solo as it generates a starting point for individual and collective reflection over past and still ongoing social and political crisis within the Cuban society.

Performing alongside Henry is Oliver Wagstaff. He is a dancer from the Netherlands, who has studied contemporary dance at the Amsterdamse hogeschool voor de kunsten. With an original training as a breakdancer and actor, his work is always interdisciplinairy and showing a variety of infuences. As a performer he has worked with Ryan Djojokarso, Henry Rodriguez, Anne Nguyen, Dalton Jansen, Andreas Denk, Jonzi D, Alida Dors, Cie Black sheep, De Dansers, Helder Seabra, Heidi Viertaler, Karina Holla, Duda Paiva, Maas theater en dans.

DADOR

Dador (2021) is a duo created in collaboration with performing artist Oliver Wagstaff. Born with the initiative to explore and find synchronicity in the symbiosis of two bodies, it fuses Rodriguez's quirky crawling language into seemingly effortless manipulations driven by the relationships between beginning, ending, permanence and change. In the first part, the dancers intertwine their bodies as an exploration of their own physical possibilities and limitations.