Schemerlicht & EGO-IST

In SCHEMERLICHT, Marc Vlemmix, winner of the Innovation Award at the Dutch Dance Days Maastricht 2025, places the changing body at the center. The dancers move at their own pace and rhythm: slowness gains meaning and repetition becomes strength. In this touching performance, we reflect on the development that the dancers have undergone, both personally and physically, through ten years of visual material. We see how the dance of the artists has become richer over the years, precisely because of the physical challenges they live with. Marc Vlemmix Dance is a Rotterdam-based company that works with dancers for whom movement continuously changes due to conditions such as Parkinson's, rheumatism, MS, or aging.

EGO-IST Although the word ego, literally translated from Latin, simply means 'I', the term egoist in everyday language has a selfish connotation. We often use it for someone who thinks very highly of themselves and primarily considers their own interests. We quickly tell such a person: put your ego aside. But from a psychological perspective, it is not about whether you have an ego, but how that ego functions. A healthy ego helps you live with others without losing yourself in the process. It enables you to set boundaries, stand up for yourself, and at the same time regulate your emotions and impulses.

But what happens when your ego comes under pressure? What remains of your 'I' when you constantly have to consider that a part of yourself is disappearing? When your steps become smaller, your voice softer, and your movements slower. In EGO-IST, Tamar Shahinian and Marc Vlemmix once again embark on an exploration together. Building on the question 'Who Am I?' from their previous duet 'TRUTH = DARE', they now focus on a new question: how do you remain yourself when the space you can occupy becomes increasingly smaller? On the sidelines, Rosan Chinnoe and Fenna Schaap also contribute to this exploration. Together they pose questions such as: 'How much space is there for me? How much space do I want to occupy?' And what does it mean, for yourself and for others, when that space becomes increasingly limited?

Because if you do nothing, it feels like you are slowly being erased. 
Do you see me? Do you hear me?
I am here. Here I am.