PRESS RELEASE
Brussels, Belgium – On 18 and 19 October 2024, acclaimed Cameroonian-Finnish choreographer Sonya Lindfors returns to Beursschouwburg with her groundbreaking performance, One Drop. This evocative work confronts the cultural and historical legacy of the ”one drop rule” and the iconic ”one drop” rhythm, reimagining them through a lens of anti-racist love, resistance, and speculative futures.
One Drop is a speculative summoning, a decolonial dream, an autopsy of the Western stage and an operetta. The performance blends the political and poetic, examining the ghosts of capitalism, coloniality, and modernity. Drawing on the “one drop rule” from the early 20th-century U.S. Race Separation Act, and the rhythmic pulse of the reggae “one drop” beat, Lindfors crafts a narrative that interrogates identity, connection, and memory. Through this work, Lindfors extends her long-standing investigation into Black body politics and representation, building on the success of her previous Beursschouwburg performance in 2019, Cosmic Latte.
Sonya Lindfors has gained notable recognition in both Belgium and the Netherlands, particularly through her participation in the renowned Julidans Festival, an international contemporary dance event held annually in Amsterdam. In 2023, she presented Cosmic Latte at Julidans, at Podium Mozaïek in Amsterdam, and at BUDA, Kortrijk in Belgium. This performance, which blends Afro-futurism with explorations of Black identity and speculative futures, has significantly enhanced her reputation as an innovative and impactful choreographer in the Benelux region.
One Drop features a talented ensemble of performers, including Isabella Shaw, Maele Sabuni, and others, bringing this richly layered choreography to life with intensity and sensitivity. The production also boasts innovative sound design by Jussi Matikainen, set design by Aino Koski, and costumes by Sanna Levo. One Drop premiered on 6 May 2023 in Helsinki, Finland.
Sonya Lindfors’ One Drop at Beursschouwburg in Brussels is co-produced by the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux. Following its Brussels debut, the performance will be staged at Kampnagel in Hamburg on 25 and 26 October, in collaboration with the Finnland-Institut in Berlin. Both events are part of the pARTir initiative, an EU-funded NextGenerationEU project that promotes responsible international mobility in the arts.
“One Drop – a work that is both playful and entertaining but also embedded with history and immense societal commentary.”
– Review by Francesca Matthys for the Dance Art Journal, 11.11.2023
About Sonya Lindfors
Sonya Lindfors is a Cameroonian-Finnish award-winning choreographer and artistic director whose works are known for addressing power structures, representation, and Black body politics. She is the founding member of UrbanApa, an interdisciplinary and counter hegemonic arts community that offers a platform for new ideas and feminist art practices. Lindfors’ choreographic works challenge Western norms and invite audiences to reflect on historical and contemporary issues of race, belonging, and empowerment. Her performance works have been shown and supported by Beursschouwburg, Battersea Arts Centre and Dance Umbrella, Kampnagel, SPRING Performing Arts Festival, CODA Oslo International Dance Festival, Black Box Theater Oslo, and Zodiak – Center for New Dance among others. She is a member of Miracle Workers Collective that represented Finland at the 58th Venice Biennale.
Practical Information
One Drop by Sonya Lindfors & Working Group
https://www.beursschouwburg.be/en/events/one-drop/
Friday, 18 October 2024 at 20:30 (including post-performance talk)
Saturday, 19 October 2024 at 20:30
Beursschouwburg, Rue Auguste Orts 20–28, 1000 Brussels
Performance duration: 105 minutes
Language: English
Accessible to people with reduced mobility. Contact for information or assistance: 02 550 03 50 or hello@beursschouwburg.be.
€16 standard
€12 reduction (artists, cultural workers, teachers, jobseekers, sex workers, under-26)
€8 students
Choreography & directing: Sonya Lindfors
Original group of performers: Antonia Atarah, Hamis Ahmed, Nori Kin, Alma Bø Getachew, Mariama Slåttøy, Geoffrey Erista, Isabella Shaw
Performers on tour 2024: Isabella Shaw, Maele Sabuni, Deogracias Masomi, Geoffrey Erista, Marlon Moilanen, Miranda Chambers, Selina Jones, Alen Nsambu, DK Fashola
Sound design: Jussi Matikainen
Light design: Erno Aaltonen
Set design: Aino Koski
Costume design: Sanna Levo
Choreographer’s assistant: Janina Salmela
Costume assistant: Angel Emmanuel
Rehearsal assistant & choreographic support: Johanna Karlberg
Sound designers assistant: Timo Tikka
Seamstress: Elina Tuomisto
Contributors to the process: Ornilia Ubisse, Judith Arupa, Alen Nsambu, Johanna Karlberg, Jaakko Pallasvuo
Dramaturgical support: Jaakko Pallasvuo
Libretto: Sonya Lindfors
Other texts: Sonya Lindfors & working group
Production: UTT ry and Sonya Lindfors
Co-production: Zodiak – Center for new dance, Goethe-Institut (International Coproduction Fund), Big Pulse Dance Alliance (a project co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union), Dance Umbrella, Julidans, Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux, Apap – FEMINIST FUTURES (a project co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union), Beursschouwburg
Residencies: Tanzfabrik berlin, KWP Kunstenwerkplaats, Buda Kortrijk, Beursschouwburg
Supported by Koneen Säätiö, Suomen Kulttuurirahasto, Alfred Kordelinin säätiö, Nordic Culture Point.
AFTER REASON programme at Beursschouwburg 17-19 October
A decolonial conversation fueled by resistance, undoing and new futures with the Goethe-Institut Brüssel
During the weekend of 17-19 October Beursschouwburg and the Goethe-Institut Brüssel bring together artists and thinkers to explore the uncomfortable clash between racism, colonialism, and outdated ideas that claim to apply to everyone. Linked to the performance One Drop by Sonja Lindfors, this programme addresses the complex but necessary ”productive undoing” in response to historical and ongoing injustices.
For more information, visit beursschouwburg.be and goethe.de/belgium
Co-production of Belgian Collaboration
The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux
The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux, based in Brussels, builds bridges and maintains connections between cultural practitioners and institutions in Finland and the Benelux region.
Beursschouwburg
Beursschouwburg is a multidisciplinary house for arts and reflection, an open meeting place strongly anchored in Brussels’ reality.
https://www.beursschouwburg.be/en/
Goethe-Institut
The Goethe-Institut is the Federal Republic of Germany’s cultural institute, active worldwide. The institute promotes the study of German abroad and encourages international cultural exchange.
https://www.goethe.de/ins/be/en/
Contact & Media Inquiries
Ela Suleymangil
Communications Manager at the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux
ela.suleymangil@finncult.be
+32 (0)486 84 42 48
You may use the media provided for articles about the performance. Please always mention the full copyright. Images by Tiu Makkonen. Trailer by Tuukka Ervasti.