Concept and composition: Onno van Swigchem (www.speeljezelf.nu)

Film, editing and live image improvisation: Miranda van der Spek

Music: the Bende van Drie

TightRope – a search for balance on dizzying heights

Live music and visual poetry

T I G H T R O P E  is a performance inspired by the story of Philippe Petit who danced in 1973 at 400m altitude between the Twin Towers. It is a performance about Petit’s absolute passion for becoming one with the rope. Tightrope walking as an art form. The magic of balancing and concentrating. Aesthetics in full awareness of the danger of death: one moment of absence means the end. It is this concentration that inspired this project.

Onno van Swigchem made a composition consisting of seven parts. The music is performed by the Bende van Drie, an unconventional, adventurous trio. I improvises with images, mixing recordings of Philip Petit on his tightrope, with my own recordings, creating a kind of video poetry.

Tightrope has been performed between 2017 – 2019 in the Kunst in de Kamer circuit and in small theatres across the Netherlands. 

Reactions

In a very intimate setting, Onno, de Bende van drie and Miranda were able to create an atmosphere that was compelling and clearly held the audience’s attention from beginning to end. An atmosphere was created where time stood still!

Nathalie Caris, former dancer of National Ballet / teacher at the National Ballet Academy

The performance ensures that the images of the tightrope Walker and the music complement each other, it creates magic that fascinates you till the end. All our guests were very excited. Marja van Strien, Paul Mertens, concert organizers at Bananenpakhuis and Kunst in de Kamer, Gouda