C É L B E L
I N E L U T
I N E L U T
Nominated for the Cologne Dance Prize 2022, A Performance is a Long Quiet River by Céline Bellut is the first piece of the Unproductive Body trilogy. It delves into the theme of boredom, questioning societal perspectives on activity and passivity, and critiquing normative, ableist views of what counts as an active or passive body. The piece explores the structural conditions that determine what is considered valuable action. Philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre argued that individuals are defined by their actions — "to act is to change the shape of the world" — but Bellut challenges whether this distinction still holds true, revealing the privileged position from which it is made.
Our society, its architecture, and its infrastructures do not offer all bodies the same opportunities to act freely, move autonomously, or co-create our lives. Here, the non-human is the world built by humans — architecture, infrastructure, space — all designed for certain bodies and not others. Not all bodies move through the world with the same freedom, and the environment that surrounds us makes this inequality visible. Reclaiming boredom, and accepting passivity as an active way of engaging with one's environment, becomes itself a form of resistance: sometimes, doing nothing — simply existing in a space that was not designed for you — is the most controversial, most radical thing a body can do.
With a team of two dancers, two visual artists, and a composer, Bellut examines these inequities by blending visual art with stage performance. The language of dance and movement explores the performative potential of boredom and stagnation, magnifying the physical outcomes of passivity through choreography, absurd actions, and shared thoughts.
The piece also confronts our existential fear of passivity, and the inner struggle to remain active even when it isn't necessary. Through this exploration, Bellut reflects on economic degrowth and the value of doing less, suggesting that sometimes, doing nothing can be the best way to begin something meaningful.
Choreography by Céline Bellut
Performance by Nejma Larichi and Jana Zöll
Music composition and dramaturgy by Jakob Lorenz
Stage design by Céline Bellut, Philipp Dreber and Saskia Holte
Stage design construction by Philipp Dreber
Costumes by Saskia Holte
Light design by Markus Becker
Choreographic assistance by Jordan Gigout
Production direction by Caroline Skibinski
Photo Documentation by Hans Diernberger
A co-production of Tanzhaus NRW Düsseldorf.
The production is supported by the : Fonds Darstellende Künste with funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media within the framework of NEUSTART KULTUR. Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, NRW State Office for the Performing Arts. Cultural Office of the City of Cologne. This project was realized with the support of FREIRAUM, collaborative conceptual and working space for the arts, and through the residency program Tanzatelier 0.10 in Quartier am Hafen.
The monologue at the introduction of the piece, is inspired by a conference by André Comte-Sponville at the Hopitaux Universitaire de Genève in 2016.