A production of Dance Company Nanine Linning 

He painted the abysses of the human soul: the British artist Francis Bacon. Basic mechanisms of relationships such as desire, domination and exclusion he presented with merciless honesty and painful beauty. With her piece, Nanine Linning fathoms the emotional cosmos of Bacon`s paintings and detects in their uncompromising depiction an analogy with her own art. With excessive physicality, the choreography explores fundamental patterns of behavior, which blur the line between human and feral bearing by their archaic and merciless nature. From an almost disturbing proximity the spectator witnesses the struggle of the individual for affiliation. 

World premiere March 18th, 2005 in Rotterdamse Schouwburg, Netherlands, reworked in 2020

“Instead of quoting the imageries of Francis Bacon, Nanine Linning creates a choreographic painting herself.” tanznetz 

“Linning‘s piece Bacon is impressive when it comes to the expressive representation of pain, agony and fear.” NRC Handelsblad 

“Nanine Linning paints. With bodies. With light. With reedy feral sounds (Jacob ter Veldhuis). And her dancers provide brilliant colors , structures and nuances for the world of Bacon.” Mannheimer Morgen 

“Nanine Linning‘s Bacon is a stubborn beauty that stays with you for a long time. The result – an extremely intense production – is extraordinary.” Utrechts Nieuwsblad 

“Those who love dance and the visual arts can indulge themselves in this piece. Five dancers use their bodies to paint a wildly beautiful choreography about beastliness, physicality, sensuality and aggressiveness. And all this is done with a rich variety of twists and turns, resulting in sombre contorted poses, which are at the same time very sculptural and beautiful to watch. Linning has captured this contrast, which with Bacon liked to experiment. The method of movement is highly restrained, reminiscent of the Japanese Butoh dancers, but reveals an inner explosiveness which is what makes it so exciting.” Volkskrant 

Credits

Concept, choreography, scenography and costumes Nanine Linning 

Scenography and light design: Jan Boiten
Video: Juliane Noß

Music: Jacob ter Veldhuis 

Photographer: Kalle Kuikkaniemi