THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
Iris Boer / Lazy Susan & Co
The Elephant in the Room is a visual, intimate, yet confronting performance where we physically and visually research a topic that is personal to us: the feeling of anxiety.
How can we find new ways to relate to what we're afraid of? How can we stay with discomfort, instead of freezing or running away?
On stage, two dancers attempt to balance their relationship with a large unpredictable inflatable. This object serves as a powerful metaphor for everything we tend to avoid, ignore, or suppress, until it inevitably grows out of proportion...
The work takes the form of a visual poetry album. Each scene is a meditative exploration of anxiety, its context, and effect on our relationships. We invite you to drift through thoughts and feelings, led by image, movement, and sound.
Dates 2026
Shows
7th of March | Dansateliers (Rotterdam)
21st of May | Verkadefabriek (Den Bosch)
2nd of December | Theater Ins Blau (Leiden)
Dates 2025
Work-in-progress presentations
29th of August | Dansateliers (Rotterdam)
10th of October | Conny Janssen Danst (Rotterdam)
27th of November | Dansbrabant (Tilburg)
Previous “The Elephant in the Room” events
16th and 19th of January | Montage Days in Theater Rotterdam
9th – 21st of December | Residency at Dansbrabant
18th – 29th of November | Makerhuis Trajectory
18th – 22nd of August |Residency at Huis Conny Janssen Danst
25th – 30th of August | Residency at Dansateliers
3rd – 5th of May | Residency at Huis Conny Janssen Danst
7th & 8th of March | Final Festival at Time Window
21st – 30th of January | Research weeks at Dansateliers
Credits
Production
Lazy Susan & Co.
Choreography
Iris Boer
Artistic coaching
Nienke Rooijakkers
Performers
Alice Gioria & Hellen Boyko
Music
Jethro Cooke
Sculpture
Sheray Of Light
Costumes
Alexandra Pershay
Assistance
Mariona Vinyes
Technical support
Frederik Kaijser
Photo
Pien Düthmann
Video
Justin Bekker
Graphic & AI Design
Luis Quelhas Marques & Sofia Umanskaia
Supported by
Makershuis Tilburg, Gemeente Rotterdam, Elise Mathilde Fonds, Volkskracht & Cultuurfonds
Partners
Dansateliers, DansBrabant & Huis Conny Janssen Danst
' Graag geef ik je het vermogen te vliegen. Niet in de lucht, maar in je hoofd, niet in je hoofd, maar uit je hoofd, je hoofd uit, naar waar het stormt en waar tegelijk de zon blikkert. Hoe hoger je vliegt, hoe kleiner de wereld wordt, Speldenkop. Duizelingwekkend vergezicht. Eeuwige sneeuw (maar niets is eeuwig). Volmaakte stilte (maar niets is volmaakt). Vlieg, flamingo van nieuwsgierigheid. Vliegenier van vreugde. Piloot van hoop. Astronaut van geluk. Vlieg! Vlieg uit volle borst jouw zon tegemoet.'
Peter Verhelst
fragment in Adem uit
