Postbus 914 ; Postalcode: 6200 AX, Maastricht
Netherlands
- International/Cultural relations
- Research
- Youth and education
Originally a workshop for young modern dancers and choreographers to develop ideas as artists in residence, Los now focuses on urban arts, especially urban dance (hiphop, breakdance, streetdance) and rap. Stressing the global nature of urban juvenile culture, Los investigates its reception by cultural institutions, art schools and the responsible authorities and politicians in the Netherlands and adjacent European countries and in Morocco and Turkey (homelands of most of the immigrants who dominate the urban scene), with the objective of arriving at an understanding of the artistic potential of international juvenile culture and means of promoting it. Research is carried out in a continuous dialogue with practice in the form of projects with young urban artists.
Between 2002 and 2006 Los has realized a number of projects with breakdancers, streetdancers and rappers throughout the Dutch Limburg, with the aim of enhancing their skills and broadening their horizon by working together in staging shows and introducing them to elements of modern stage dance. A documentation in print and on dvd is in course of preparation, and the series is shortly to be continued in the adjacent province of Brabant. Simultaneously, research is being done on the opportunities offered to young urban dancers to develop their skills in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, England, Germany, Spain, Morocco and Turkey, according to the cultural and social conditions prevailing in each country. This is to result in a publication illustrating ‘best practices’ from different countries and formulating general conclusions and insights.