Conversations with Shadows - A performance about a good boy

Duration: 35 min

Language: English and Finnish

Suitability: -

Group: Antti Uimonen

Country: The Netherlands

Performers: Antti Uimonen

Team: Antti Uimonen (concept / choreography), Rodia Vomvolou (dramaturgy), Arieh Chrem (sound design), Ryan O’Shea (light design), Rebecca Lillich / Krüger (costume), Roman Zotter (photos)

Description: The solo that combines dance and physical theater. Through the character of a Good Boy, a light is shed on the contradictory inner worlds of a dependable lad who always says YES. What unfolds is an introspective study of the so-called ‘good boy syndrome’, a psychological pattern of people-pleasing, overworking, and suppressing needs to gain approval. This performance considers how learned behaviors generate the ritual of violence, repression, and obedience that colours the days of boyhood.

The Good Boy navigates his mind. His body responds to invisible emotions. His words garble through smothered thoughts. A sea of sounds, voice-overs, and spoken text reveals the absurdity, tenderness, and universality of internal chatter. At times, his journey is personal and vulnerable. At others, it becomes surreal, intertwined with storytelling & humor. At the core is a desire to highlight the complexity of our inner worlds and an urgency to externalise what is hidden deep below the surface.