Hoge ogen: Tectonics

Tectonics is a research project focused on synchronizing the human body with the earth. Step into an experience of vibration and sound that will unveil the latest insights in this ongoing exploration. New Maker Ciro Monoarfa Goudsmit uses sounddesign, physical frequencies and rhythm to explore tectonic plates, where landslides and volcanic eruptions are understood as responses of planet earth to exhaustion. 

A response to the enduring extraction, for example due to gas extraction or oil drilling. What mythologies emerge from this response? And how can humans learn to deepen their listening to the underlying rhythm?

Ciro Monoarfa Goudsmit, is an artist with a fascination for vibrations. Their background in club and street styles forms the starting point, followed by an exploration of the impact of sound on the body as a choreographic aid. Central to the work is the discovery of a personal rhythm, increasing the body’s sensitivity to drum patterns and physical vibrations. 

Tectonics part of a larger research trajectory in which Ciro focuses on synthesis and sound design as choreographic tools, in relation to Dutch and Indonesian myths embedded in the earth, alongside a long-term investigation into the healing properties of frequency.

Earlier explorations of this theme took shape in works such as Sonic Portals, which imagines an alternative future through DIY instruments, including a very large spring. Tung! delves into polyrhythms, the healing aspects of low frequencies, and line dance/poco poco/electric slide. Both works attempt to translate rhythm and culture into a landscape choreography that questions the Western theatrical frame.

Hoge Ogen

Ciro Monoarfa Goudsmit is part of Bijlmer Parktheater’s Hoge Ogen program. This evening features a presentation of a work in progress. During the Hoge Ogen talent development program, makers are given the opportunity to work with a team of professionals from various disciplines to build their own performance and develop their signature as a maker. Bijlmer Parktheater provides rehearsal space, coaching, financial support, and most importantly: a stage.

About Ciro Monoarfa Goudsmit

Ciro investigates frequencies as a physical, emotional, and material phenomenon within an artistic practice. This research originates from experiences with therapy, meditation, and decolonization, in which bodily vibrations were felt as forms of emotional release and processing. From these experiences emerged a central question: how does the body carry emotions, memories, and tensions, and how can these be made visible and tangible through vibration, rhythm, and movement? 
 
These questions formed the basis for studies at the School for New Dance Development (SNDO). During this period, a critical stance developed toward somatic dance practices within a Western context, questioning the extent to which these practices create space for collective, historical, and non-Western forms of embodied knowledge. In parallel, the research engages with the history of electronic music and dance, approached both as a gateway to physical and emotional connection and as a politically and culturally charged field. 
 
Within the work, a conscious effort is made to connect body, technology, and history. Vibration functions as a connective medium: between performer and audience, between individual and environment, and between past and present. While the form remains abstract, the work aims to activate a deeply embodied, intuitive, gut-level sensation.

About Constant-Amand Bitihuse

Dynamic and versatile dancer/performer with an affinity for dance music, hip-hop and ballroom culture. Born and raised in Flanders, Belgium, with Rwandan origins. Experienced in freestyle, choreography, and performance, blending technique with raw expression. Passionate about pushing boundaries and bringing energy, storytelling, and authenticity to the stage. Known for a strong stage presence, adaptability, and a commitment to the art of movement.

About Marilou Fortuné

Marilou Fortuné (2001, France) is a queer Black French performer based in Amsterdam, whose work lies at the intersection of contemporary dance, improvisation, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Marilou’s practice is deeply shaped by vibrations of cultural identity, using the body as a vessel to express stories, histories, and rhythms through movement. Growing up in the multicultural suburbs of Paris within a Franco-Caribbean family, Marilou's artistic practice is deeply inspired by this double cultural heritage and by the diverse environment of upbringing. 

Dance training, starting at an early age, includes classical, contemporary, and jazz dance. The emphasis gradually shifted toward contemporary dance and improvisation and now culminates into recent graduation from the Expanded Contemporary Dance department of the University of the Arts, Amsterdam. Marilou’s approach to movement is rooted in eclecticism, incorporating both academic and non-traditional dance styles. In addition to formal training, exploration of house, salsa, and electro dance expanded cultural knowledge and connections through movement. This fusion of styles has become central to artistic expression, allowing communication both individually and collectively through dance.The performances and collaborations of Marilou have spanned a broad range of disciplines, creating works with visual artists, filmmakers, musicians, and choreographers.Work shown from museum/exhibition spaces to the National Opera and on to international festivals has included the Black Festival "Corpo Negro" in Rio.These experiences have been integral in refining a practice that merges physical and conceptual storytelling while inviting the audience into a shared, embodied experience.  

From there, driven by an interest in the research of Black identity and queer expression in contemporary art, Marilou question and look for possiblity of using physicality to extend narrative, disrupt normality, and monumentalize realities. Marilou is a multidisciplinary artist whose creations deeply reverberate in space, initiating the audience on a journey through movement and cultural expression.