Download Cross-over dance company ISH is subsidized by the Netherlands

ISH - A WAY OF LIFE
ISH was founded in late 1999 by Marco Gerris. The first show, ISH, premiered in January
2000. Dance and acrobatic stunts on inline skates form the connecting thread of this show about dreams. Short, highly
associative images combine to form the story. ISH’ was enthusiastically received by the press and the public because of its
dynamics and crossover between new contemporary street culture and theatre.
Due to its success, the ISH tour was extended, and in 2001 the show went on to conquer the United States and Canada.
After ISH came ISH² (2002), Triple ISH (2003) and Heroish (a coproduction with Toneelgroep Amsterdam, 2003).
In the following theatre seasons, ISH presented the two shows KICKS (coproduced with the Aya and Meekers dance
companies) and the large-scale production, 4-ISH. With this piece, ISH played for six weeks in the New Victory theatre on
Broadway and toured through parts of the United States and Canada. ISH also took 4-ISH to Latvia, Poland, Rumania,
Hungary, Spain and Great Britain. The third show that year, Freestylish, marked an important new development for ISH. By
now, all of the performers had undergone intensive training in the ISH disciplines. That cast put on two other shows in 2005:
Virtualish, inspired by computer games, and W-ISH, a street dance performance based on the dreams and hopes of that
junior cast.
2007 saw the premiere of Balls, which combines skating with dance and ball sports such as football, panna and basketball.
Later that year came Footprints, an adaptation of Jiří Kylián’s Stamping Ground, and the circus show Mind the Gap and
Stylish which performed specially for schools. The year 2008 was dedicated to the show Balls and reruns of Stylish and again
a tour of 4-ISH in the USA.
BoyISH/GirlISH premiered in September 2009 and ran in theatres until the end of that year. With the energy of hip-hop, the
competition of break-dance and the airiness of acrobatics, director Marco Gerris and his cast examine whether the struggle
between the sexes still exists. Due to its huge success, BoyISH/GirlISH! has had a rerun in 2011.
NEW CHALLENGE
With the production STORMISH – Who the f*** ISHakespeare? (premiere 2010), ISH
took on a new artistic challenge. ISH adapted William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest into a totally unique show, thus
realizing its ambition to deal with the classics. The press and the public reacted extremely enthusiastically to this clash
between street culture and an established art form. Besides STORMISH – Who the f*** ISHakespeare?, the year 2010 also
saw the premiere of Ego Clash, the result of ISH having invited five talented young performers to make a piece of their own.
Ego Clash is the second production in the ISH New Makers series. The first production, Legends of Urban Dance / L.O.U.D.,
was presented in 2008 and made by Niels van der Steen.
ISH knows that new forms of art emerge from contrarian ways of doing things, and the group takes this challenge head-on,
full of enthusiasm and confidence! Live video- and sound-scratching in HerculISH (premiere September 2010), gravitydefying feats in GravitISH which is made by Melissa Elberger (part of the ISH New Makers series – Spring of 2011) and the
large-scale production MONTEVERDISH – A Hiphop Breakdance Opera (2011) show how close breakdance and opera actually
are. This year, ISH will be at the Dutch festival De Parade with JibberISH, and a new theatre maker – choreographer and
performer Raphael Hillebrand – is being given the chance, under the guidance of artistic director Marco Gerris, to make a
production: Fight Flow. But the year 2012 is largely dedicated to the shows HyperISH and THIS is ISH. The ISH production
HyperISH overwhelms you with surprising body movements and incredible boosts of energy. To escape the pressure and
hustle of daily life, the ISH performers take a plunge into the deep… in search of themselves.
After that, Marco and the ISH performers meet the challenge of designing their future in THIS is ISH. Get acquainted with
the world of ISH and dream up your own!
PASS IT THROUGH
ISH gives young people the chance to learn unique skills through its educational projects
and workshops. The popular street culture skills that ISH brings to the stage form the basis of these projects. All that the
participants need to have is guts, energy and an open mind!
RESIDENCIES- Youths work with professionals both production-wise and artistically to make a performance in the ISH style.
The residencies are extremely suited to furthering interrelation and cohesion within groups of boys and girls from different
cultures and social strata. The ISH way of working has also become part of the lives of young people in India, Senegal,
South Africa, America, Canada and China, among others.
WORKSHOPS- Not only can breakdance, street dance, pop ‘n lock, beatboxing, skating and martial arts be seen in ISH
performances, they also can be studied in workshops given by experienced ISH professionals. Performance related
workshops featuring theatrical elements such as dance and theatre are also given by the ISH performers.
Cross-over dance company ISH is subsidized by the Netherlands Performing Arts Fund and the Amsterdam Municipal
Department of Social Development
(DMO).