NL premiere

Kianí Del Valle Performance Group, a dance company led by Puerto Rican choreographer and dancer Kianí del Valle, is joined by Argentinian music producer Tayhana and Spanish visual artists Hamill Industries to present the Dutch premiere of CORTEX. This audiovisual and choreographed performance takes the human brain as its subject matter, taking particular focus on gamma waves and the temporal lobe, as avenues to study and understand consciousness and codified memories. CORTEX unfolds over four acts, each representing distinct states of the brain as it approaches death, seeking to comprehend existence beyond the mortal bounds of the body. The piece explores processes of grief, displacement, loneliness, and mortality – featuring dynamically evolving direction and choreography by del Valle, in combination with an original live sound score by Tayhana and visuals by Hamill Industries. The project’s ethos is rooted in fluidity and equitable collaboration, allowing each dancer’s unique history and interpretation of death to enrich the overall collective process.This dissolution of hierarchies cultivates a space where individual and communal expression converge, enhancing the potential of movement as a medium for the profound exploration of identity. In CORTEX, people’s unique ways of mourning and processing are made tangible through dance, music, and light.

CORTEX was originally commissioned by Sónar Festival and CTM.