Wim Vandekeybus b. 1963
Wim Vandekeybus & Ultima Vez - In Spite of Wishing and Wanting (2002)
Duration: 50 minutes

In creating this piece, Wim Vandekeybus worked in close collaboration with composer David Byrne, primarily known as co-founder of the Talking Heads, and with an all-male company. Vandekeybus says: “ In Spite of Wishing and Wanting is about how it is impossible to explain your deepest wish or desire… But in your dreams and sleep, your deepest wishes and fears can be expressed.” Vandekeybus' style is known for its high adrenaline and genuine sense of jeopardy, with a dance vocabulary drawn from everyday movement. These elements are all contained in this video that also marks a new departure for Vandekeybus in its exploration of the different tensions, responses, emotions and energy generated by a single-sex cast. Poetic and passionate, In Spite of Wishing and Wanting is a powerful and moving mix of movement, music, symbol, words and silence, which culminates in a closing sequence that makes an unforgettable impact: the dancers, prone on the floor, exhaust themselves in their attempts to free themselves from gravity. Realising your desires may not happen: effort and hope are what count. This screen adaptation of the work was shot in the atmosphere surroundings of racetrack and at the beautiful ballroom-concerthall ‘Vooruit Arts Center' in Ghent, Belgium.