All-evening performance for six dancers in 50 tonnes of sand

’Life and everything living conceived in the mist. A short rest in the wind and a different woman will give birth to you.’
– Kahil Gibrand

’It occurs to me that human life as well as animal life and life among other creatures all are created by a certain number of archetypical strings which in eternity play new variations of the same theme. Life, which seems to have the greatest importance to us, can be seen as a new branch in an oak tree if seen from a distance and the oak tree is standing in the forest of eternity full of oak trees. One story being as good as the other.

There is nothing new in this cracker-barrel philosophical explanation. One generation is followed by the next generation. Religion is followed by religion. Suffering and happiness alternate each other and everything disappears in the sand of time without leaving any other trace than the continuously inertia in life.’
Thomas Eisenhardt, May 2000

Reviews

”It is very seldom on a Danish dance stage to find a cooperation between dance, set design and sound which we found here in this encouraging concluding fanfare after an oppressingly tame dance season.”
Charlotte Christensen, Teater 1, October 1999

” ….”ÅBEN DANS productions”´ latest production is probably the most uncontrollable, unpolished, strange and riot running dance performance of the season. No one ought to miss out on this one.”
Majbrit Simonsen, Weekendavisen, 11 June 1999

”It is seldom that music and movement follow each other so closely as in Peter Bastian’s and Thomas Eisenhardt’s Shabistaris Have (Shabistari’s Garden). They crawl together through the sand, they dab each other like animals, they play, they shake their heads in funny, birdlike movements or try gently to get close to each other. Everything is performed through the movements as well as the music.”
Erik Aschengreen, Berlingske Tidende, 9 June 1999.

”And in this intractable, sensual material, sand, the dancers really understand how to submit life to Thomas Eisenhardt’s vision. A strong portrait of the mysterious mechanism governing our lives.”
Janus Kodal, Ekstra Bladet, 8 June 1999.