With their latest production, The Current, Club Guy & Roni join forces with HIIIT and media artist Boris Acket to explore club and rave culture. What happens when individuals allow themselves to be swept along by a collective current? How much room remains for resistance, freedom and personal conviction?

Club Guy & Roni previously created Mechanical Ecstasy, a rave-inspired performance that was featured at Lowlands, among other festivals. NITE’s Nachtwacht also ended with a rave. What is it about club culture that appeals to you?

Guy: “Personally, it means a great deal to me! It’s a place where you can be yourself and be together with others. And where you can dance – something we’re obviously very passionate about. I look at it through the lens of third-place theory: alongside home and work, we need a third place where we can come together in freedom and on equal terms. In the past, churches and other religious spaces fulfilled that role, but that function is increasingly disappearing. I think people are really searching for a new kind of space like that, and society hasn’t yet found a good answer. I hope the digital world doesn’t end up filling that role. You can be yourself online, of course, but not necessarily the most social version of yourself.”

Boris Acket was also involved in your production Bad Nature. Why are you working together again on The Current?

Guy: “As an artist, you often get stuck in your own way of thinking. Our company is quite diverse, but even so, you can develop a rather homogeneous perspective on things. That’s why we’re constantly looking for different viewpoints, collaborating with dance companies from other cultures and with artists working in other disciplines. Boris’s perspective on humanity, technology and nature, rooted in the visual arts, is incredibly inspiring to us. We wanted to learn more from him. The other reason is that Boris has a background in club culture. That’s where we first connected, and it’s where we continue to meet.”

You describe rave as a movement of ‘resistance and transcendence’. What do you mean by that?

Guy: “What’s particularly interesting is the tension between those two terms. Historically, clubs have been safe spaces where subcultures could develop their identities — from gabbers and heavy metal fans to the LGBTQ+ community. This tradition of coming together goes back to ancient rituals. There’s an energy that emerges, one that can become almost spiritual. But there’s also a danger inherent in that togetherness, something we discovered while making Mechanical Ecstasy: the DJ can bring the crowd into a state of ecstasy, almost like a priest, wielding enormous power over the masses in that moment. The Current refers to moments in history when people have gone along with the tide, even though they perhaps should have resisted it. The title makes a subtle reference to Die Welle (The Wave), a film in which a school experiment exploring peer pressure and authoritarian leadership spirals completely out of control.”

The performance incorporates texts by South African poet Ronelda S. Kamfer. Why did you choose her work?

Roni: “We felt it was important to bring voices from a place where resistance is still very much a current reality. Ronelda’s work is deeply poetic and incredibly powerful in its substance. The texts are performed by the dancers and by actor and singer Sarah Janneh. As the MC – Master of Ceremonies – she helps guide the audience through the set and throughout the evening.”

The music is composed by Max Frimout and Stanislav Tolkachev. Who are they?

Guy: “Max Frimout is a fantastic young Dutch composer we’ve worked with several times before. He moves effortlessly between electronic and contemporary music. He suggested collaborating with Stanislav Tolkachev. Stanislav fled Ukraine, lives in Berlin and is currently one of the biggest names in Europe’s alternative techno scene.”

What happens when rave enters the theatre?

Guy: “I think it can do a lot. Theatre is usually a place for what we might call capital-A Art. Club culture, on the other hand, is seen as part of nightlife, as entertainment — even though it’s obviously much more than that. I think bringing those two worlds together could be really interesting.”

Roni: “Of course, we’re not simply putting on a rave. What interests us is the physical and emotional state it creates: the feeling of being pulled in by rhythm, sound and light, and the possibility of losing yourself in a collective energy. That’s the journey we want the audience to experience through this performance.

“Boris Acket’s spatial installation dissolves the boundaries between performer and spectator. The audience’s presence, movements and reactions influence how the evening unfolds. Because you experience the performance from a 360-degree perspective and the audience’s responses are unpredictable, the experience is different from every vantage point. That also requires a completely different approach to choreography.”

The performance has standing room only. Does that mean the theatre seats will be removed?

Guy: “No, the audience will be standing on stage with us, so the seats can stay where they are. The setup has certainly given us a few production headaches. What we wanted to achieve wasn’t simple. But it wasn’t impossible either, thanks to our fantastic team. It does mean that capacity is limited. We can’t fit 700 people on stage. So if you want to be there, that’s another reason to book your ticket early.”

Text: Yvon van Apeldoorn