Arno Schuitemaker

Work

The End - part 2

"Intimate and performed by three dancers whose bodies move with sensual fluidity, The End – part 2 unfolds within a universe steeped in the atmosphere of nightclubs. Through seamless transitions, the piece navigates a space somewhere in the middle—or on the edge—of the night. Tall, transparent screens suspended on stage act both as set elements and projection surfaces. Incorporating highly inventive live video material, this original stage design greatly contributes to the aura of the performance, which captivates from start to finish.” — Jérôme Provençal, Les Inrockuptibles

Light cuts the dark; bodies flicker, disappear. Blending movement, electronic music, light, and video, The End – part 2 immerses itself in questions of togetherness, solidarity, and belonging within an increasingly digital and fragmented society. How do we perceive each other as our identities grow more transparent? What do we share in a culture where so much feels exposed? At what point does our presence become real?

The performance creates an amorphous realm of connections: between the three performers, their queer male bodies, and video projections. The lines between performer and audience, observer and observed, fact and fiction overlap and blur. What emerges is a collection of short stories where energy, stillness, distortion, sensitivity, the digital, and the skin magnify one another. As the performers reveal different facets of themselves, they dismantle physical boundaries — the walls we were taught to trust yet reach across.

Inspired by the Stonewall Riots, often seen as the “end” of an era of queer oppression in the 1960s, the title The End – part 2 plays an ironic twist, embodying both closure and its refusal. Embracing this tension, the work traces the ongoing path toward queer liberation, challenging fixed views and provoking open-endedness and a multi-layered perspective. Beginning with a simple, deliberate step, each narrative thread weaves into the next, laying bare the fragile dynamics that define our social gaze—and our curated selves.

Find upcoming 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

Photo: Peteris Viksna

Photo: Peteris Viksna

Photo: Peteris Viksna

Calendar

Credits

Concept and creation: Arno Schuitemaker
Performers: Mark Christoph Klee, Ivan Ugrin, Angelo Petracca
Dramaturgy: Guy Cools
Lighting design: Jean Kalman
Music: Aart Strootman
Video: Gilbert Nouno
Costumes: Victor Klijsen
Set design: Jean Kalman and Arno Schuitemaker
Technical producer: Maarten van Burken
Video technician: Daan hazendonk
Technicians: Sander Schaart and Ruben Lijbers
Outside eye: Miguel A. Melgares
The movement material is created in collaboration with the performers.

Production

The End - part 2 is a production by SHARP/ArnoSchuitemaker in coproduction with Montpellier Danse as part of the residency at Agora, International City of Dance, with the support of the BNP Paribas Foundation, Centre Chorégraphique National de Caen en Normandie, La Place de la Danse CDCN Toulouse - Occitanie. Supported by The Performing Arts Fund NL, Amsterdam Fund for the Arts, Ammodo, and Fonds21.