de Stilte: a dance that speaks without words
“It all started in 1994. The artistic director, Jack Timmermans, dance teacher at the dance academy in Tilburg, asked himself one day: “If I die now, have I actually done what I really wanted?” The honest answer was no. So he changed course and started creating performances. At first for adults, but he quickly realised: working with children, that really gives energy. Children look without judgment. They see their own story in what happens. And that makes it magical. We live in such a linguistic world, but actually we tell half of our story with our body. And that is exactly what we do with dance.”
Without thresholds
de Stilte is performed in theatres around the world, but fortunately also right here in Breda and the rest of the Netherlands. In school halls, theatres or during festivals. Everywhere children are allowed to feel wonder. And they don’t just do so from a distance. In some performances, even the very young can step onto the stage. Then they truly become part of the world they have just seen.
Through the Education Guide, schools in Breda can register for a performance. And for many children, this is often their first encounter with dance. That’s why de Stilte does everything it can to make that experience bigger than just the hour in the theatre. There are lesson plans beforehand, and workshops afterwards, so children can ask questions or let their imagination run free. Because in the experience of art there is no right or wrong. A child sees what it sees, and that’s right for the child.
Create a performance together
“What de Stilte does is not only for children, but also for their parents, grandparents, or whoever else is joining. You experience it together. The dancers on stage are not performing a trick; it is an interaction with the audience. You see something happening, feel something, and create your own story from it. And that story is different for everyone. We often hear parents say “what was that actually about?” while the child has already created a whole story of their own,” says Femke with a smile.
BRIK Festival: fantasy at full throttle
And then there is BRIK, the Brabant International Children's Festival. A festival organized by de Stilte itself, because they believed that the most beautiful performances from all over the world should also be seen in Breda. So they invited their colleagues to showcase their performances... and thus BRIK was born.
“A festival full of dance, movement, and imagination. No lessons, no explanations. Just watching, feeling, and discovering. We don't want to teach children something. We want something to happen in them. That they are touched in their own way.”
No grand dreams, but a clear mission
According to Femke, there is no need for de Stilte to be bigger, faster, or more internationally famous. “What we do want is that all children in Breda and the surrounding area can continue to come to our performances. That we can keep creating beautiful dance performances. And that BRIK is allowed to keep growing. We simply want to keep doing what we love most. Reaching children. Making them feel something. In a world that sometimes moves so quickly.”