Six people, two musicians and four dancers, encounter each other on stage. Moving between different styles, they depict the difficulties and the fascination that the notion of togetherness carries. In doing so, they enter into conflict with each other and then immediately retreat and hide themselves. They move quickly, aggressively, rigorously, but also slowly and quietly. They scream, whisper, injure one another and fight in struggle for closeness and distance until they are completely exhausted.
THE BASEMENT describes a place that is filled with darkness. It is a place where one does not feel free and unfettered. It is, in fact, a cellar in which no one wants to stay for long, yet where one possibly may not find their way out (alone). This piece of dance theater tells the story of interpersonal relationships and feelings, of being alone and coming together. It also explores the conflicts associated with all of these ideas and how too much closeness can bring about stress and fear as well as how impossible life is without this closeness. It illustrates the processes of being injured and seeks to provide consolation, so to speak, by showing the consequences of anger and fighting. On stage, the live musicians of La Corneille and the dancers encounter one another as equal partners and together create an impressive visual and acoustic experience.
The Dutch choreographer Wies Merkx has developed dance for a broad audience over the last 25 years. As the founder and artistic director of De Dansers, she has made a fundamental contribution to the further development of dance for young audiences in Europe. She has developed a large number of internationally successful productions; most recently, her production *R O S E S – einsam.gemeinsam** (THEATER STRAHL in cooperation with SZENE BUNTE WÄHNE, Austria) won the IKARUS prize, an award for outstanding theater productions for children and young people.

THE BASEMENT was invited to the Tweetakt Festival in Utrecht, De Krakeling Festival in Amsterdam, Zeeland Nazomerfestival in Middelburg & Terneuzen (all in The Netherlands), to the THINK BIG! Festival in Munich and to the Starke Stücke Festival in Frankfurt.