During the coronavirus pandemic, when would-be visitors were safe at home, a magnificent project involving filmmaking, dance and architecture unfolded in Rotterdam.
Theatres were closed for extended periods, therefore the usual events and festivals were called off, or were modified for online viewing. When theatres and concert halls finally opened, only very small audiences could attend the live shows. Meanwhile, the creativity of Rotterdam Rooftop Days (Dakendagen), rather than being cancelled outright, carried on in a pandemic-proof way!
The Rotterdam-based dance company Conny Janssen Danst collaborated with Rotterdam Rooftop Days and the filmmaker Elyssio Ramose to create "Monuments in Solitude", contemporary dance performances on famous Rotterdam rooftops.
In the first film, Remy Tilburg performs "Cotton Mind" with the fantastic view over Katendrecht, the Maas and the Kop van Zuid from the building Fenix 2.
In the second episode, dancer Hiro Murata discovers the special architecture of the Delftse Poort in the heart of Rotterdam and creates his own dance habitat with his solo "In the Shell".
In the third episode, dancer Adi Amit with her solo "It means no worries" conveys how Lijnbaanflat City House in the city centre, usually carelessly passed by shoppers, is full of architectural surprises.
Anyone with even a remote interest in dance, film or architecture - or even just those who are fond of Rotterdam - will be thrilled to see these unique, original and rather alluring videos! Read more about it on the Rotterdam Rooftop Days website.