New Baltic Dance ’27: Ayelen Parolin (Belgium) — Irresistible Revolution

A performance for twelve dancers

I remember going to watch the corso at carnival as a child—that was where I first saw murga. I still treasure that memory above all others. The Buenos Aires Carnival left such a deep impression on me that I dreamed countless times of belonging to a comparsa troupe. I don’t know how, but eventually this persistent longing led me to ballet classes. My yearning for feathers and glitter remained unfulfilled there, but I learned the codes of dance and found myself closer to theatre. Years passed, and murga, cumbia, carnival, celebration, family and festive dances continued to nourish my imagination and choreographic work.

As I create *Irresistible Revolution*, I imagine a group of twelve performers surrendering to a whirlwind of dances that clash with one another but brim with energy. It is a choreographic ode to being together, arising from who we are and who we can become. Inspired by the uninhibited freedom characteristic of any gathering that opens the way to unpredictable detours, twelve bodies will follow a variety of irresistible impulses and untamed, rebellious movements as they search for new ways to connect. Festive, joyful dances will become fertile ground for a utopia in which collective abundance and joy sketch the contours of another possible world.

The utopian direction of these dances resonates with adrienne maree brown’s concept of “pleasure activism,” according to which pleasure is a space for exploration and resistance. *Irresistible Revolution* is described here as a space where collective joy and bodies meet to unleash new possibilities for social resonance. As Carla Bergman and Nick Montgomery write in *Joyful Militancy*, immersing ourselves in pleasure and collectively transgressing norms is not merely a celebration of the body—it is a joyful and radical political act. This joyful exhilaration, discussed by brown, Bergman and Montgomery, encourages us to rethink the connections between pleasure, rebellion and togetherness, where every wave of sensation opens up new ways of being together.

**Creative team**
Project creator: Ayelen Parolin
Creators and performers: Ido Batash, Sebastian Biong, Jim Buskens, Jeanne Colin, Thibaut Eiferman, Mila Endeweld, Naomi Gibson, Daan Jaartsveld, Lukah Katangila, Kit King, Annabel Reid, Elisa Rouchon
Artistic collaboration: German Jauregui
Music: Benoist Esté Bouvot
Lighting designer: Emily Brassier
Costume designer: Marie-Hélène Balau
Dramaturgy: Olivier Hespel
Administration and distribution: Claire Geyer
Visual material: Stanislav Dobak

The project is presented as part of the Réseau Danse Wallon network.

Co-produced by: Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles, Charleroi Danse, Théâtre de Liège, Central La Louvière, Mars – Mons art de la scène, Le Vilar Louvain la Neuve, Théâtre de Namur, Théâtre de Suresnes Jean Vilar, La Maison de la Danse, La Halle aux Grains Scène nationale de Blois, Theater Freiburg, One Dance Festival.

The costumes were made in the costume workshop of Théâtre de Liège.

Supported by: the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.