Rhythm & Flow by Marco Gerris
Rhythm & Flow by Marco Gerris (ISH Dance Collective) is the winner of the Zwaan meest indrukwekkende dans productie 2024.
Jury about the nomination
‘’Company ISH has been questioning for years what a dance performance should or could be. With sports, club and street skills in theatre, they are essential to the development of Dutch dance. Rhythm & Flow is an impressive physical exploration of the question: how do you move through the labyrinth of life?‘’
About Marco Gerris
Marco Gerris is director and artistic director of ISH Dance Collective. Actually, he is much more, for he never wants to choose. The Filipino born grew up in Belgium, cycling from gymnastics to violin lessons, only to choose judo and the saxophone after all. Even after high school, it is difficult for the energetic creative to stay in one place.
In the late 1990s, he pledged his heart to Amsterdam, where he started working as a dancer, skater and actor. He was elected Dutch Freestyle Skating Champion and performed in various productions including the musical ‘Eindeloos’ and performances by dance group AYA. Besides this, he can often be found in the Vondelpark, making connections and friendships with skaters, dancers and actors.
In 2000, his new network inspired him to create his first piece: ISH. The name is derived from the English suffix ‘-ish’ ('-like), a word that stands for something you can't exactly define because it is both one thing and another.
23 years later, ISH has grown into an internationally renowned company that reaches young and diverse audiences. Marco Gerris received the prestigious Prince Bernhard Culture Fund Prize in 2020, an oeuvre prize awarded to individuals or institutions that have made an exceptional contribution to culture.
Image by: Sjoed Derine
“Company ISH has been questioning for years what a dance performance should or could be. With sports, club and street skills in theatre, they are essential to the development of Dutch dance. Rhythm & Flow is an impressive physical exploration of the question: how do you move through the labyrinth of life?”