You Change Me Change is a contemporary dance theatre solo that examines change as a physical and psychological state. Rather than treating change as a dramatic turning point, the work focuses on the small processes through which transformation actually happens: shifts in habits, disruptions of routine, moments of resistance, and the effort required to adapt.

On stage, a single performer moves through a series of changing physical tasks and conditions. Movement patterns emerge, stabilize, and then break apart. What begins as structure gradually becomes unstable; what appears chaotic slowly reorganizes itself into new forms. The performer repeatedly negotiates between holding on to what is familiar and allowing the body to move into unfamiliar territory. This ongoing negotiation aims to point out how change often contains both productive and destructive potential.

The piece also questions the relationship between change and progress. In contemporary discourse, change is frequently framed as inherently positive. However, constant transformation can also lead to cycles where systems are replaced without actually improving. Through repetition, interruption, and reconfiguration of movement material, the work asks whether change alone is enough to move forward, or whether it can also create forms of stagnation disguised as movement.

Throughout the performance, the body becomes a site of investigation. The performer tests how the body responds to pressure, uncertainty, and adaptation. States of tension, fatigue, control, and release become visible markers of transformation. Rather than presenting a fixed narrative, the choreography works with a sequence of evolving situations that expose the mechanics of change: how it begins, how it spreads, and how it reshapes the structures that contain it. By closely examining these processes within one body, the work reflects on how individuals and societies navigate the constant demand to transform while still searching for meaningful progress.



Choreography | Artistic Concept: Birke van Maartens

Performance | Co-Creation: Raul Nahum Aranha

Audio Arrangement & Lights: Kenji Tanaka

Duration: approx. 60 minutes