Arno Schuitemaker

Work

After After

A performance about the exhilarating power of (re)creation. Seven dancers inherit the fractures of a disintegrating world, then claim a white canvas, a blank page, to craft another. After After sets a double meaning in motion: re‑creation (the deliberate act of making anew) and recreation (leisure and play). This fertile duality fuels the work as it confronts an era that feels spent and near - if not past - its limits.

With power dynamics on full display and systems of economic and environmental extraction taking a toll on people and planet, we face the question: what if the after is already here? With it comes an opportunity. Can recreation, forged by the labour of re‑creating, build our language for what’s next?

After After is an ode to that attempt. The body becomes a versatile narrator in an exploration of how making anew can open onto communal joy. But it begins with unmaking. Unconventionally, rather than resisting, the performance surrenders to an ending. It dies from within, then surges back to life.

Bringing together their individual voices and ways of moving, the dancers create a vibrant playground. Here, touch is a public, radical practice. Frame by frame, they fold care into their collective agency; gestures become a form of repair. Call it the faultline effect: a slight shift in weight, will, or glance releases force, redrawing the rules of the game. They move with increasing fluidity across styles until the performance erupts with fiery energy.

A cathartic dance at the crossroads of time.

Press
Arno Schuitemaker demonstrates his mastery of transformation in After After with a new composition by Aart Strootman and an exquisite lighting design by Jean Kalman. — Critic's Choice (Theaterkrant)

Recent Japanese studies show that watching sports is good for mental health. They should measure the effect of After After: plenty of space and energy coursing through your body as a spectator (…) It’s exhilarating to be part of that. — De Groene Amsterdammer

After After hypnotizes. — Het Parool

Find the performance dates and credits by scrolling down.

Photo: Peteris Viksna

Photo: Peteris Viksna

Photo: Peteris Viksna

Photo: Peteris Viksna

Photo: Peteris Viksna

Photo: Peteris Viksna

Photo: Peteris Viksna

Calendar

Credits

Creation: Arno Schuitemaker
Performers: Jim Buskens, Camilla Bundel, Ashley Ho, Frederik Kaijser, Orla McCarthy, Angelo Petracca and Paolo Yao
Dramaturgy: Miguel A. Melgares
Music: Aart Strootman
Light design: Jean Kalman
Scenography: Jean Kalman, Arno Schuitemaker
Costumes: SADAK
Technical production: Vincent Beune, Ruben Lijbers, Sander Schaart
Rehearsal assistant: Mark Christoph Klee
Vocal coach: Maria Magdalena Kozłowska
Production: Björn van Raaij, Lynn Gommes
Publicity: Jannes Heidinga
Photos: Peteris Viksna

The movement material is created in collaboration with the performers.

After After is a production of SHARP/ArnoSchuitemaker and is supported by Fonds Podiumkunsten, Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst, Ammodo, Fonds 21, and BNG Cultuurfonds. With many thanks to Julidans/ITA.