Losers

We all feel like losers sometimes. When the grass is greener next door, when someone outshines us or when we trip in a less-than-elegant manner in the middle of a busy street. Even though we’re deeply ashamed, we know we’ll be able to laugh about it – eventually.

Stand back, I’m a loser on a winning streak.

Ocean Vuong, “Beautiful Short Loser”

In Losers, Jelena Kostić explores different aspects of ‘loserhood’: shame, (self)pity, grief, and the need to put our poorer moments into perspective and transform them for the better. Using humour as her weapon, Jelena creates a dance performance that captures the feeling of losing in a multifaceted theatrical movement language. 

The dancers repeat a routine of falling, sliding and getting up, interspersed with movement and text solos. A range of behaviours is featured: arrogance, conceit, disappointment, insecurity, pretending… There is a lot of playing with the audience’s gaze. After all, being a loser is mostly about whether others judge you to be one. It is all about watching and being watched. The dancers inspect each other, copy each other, turn their backs on each other and then face each other once again.

– Theaterkrant

Documentary film

Simultaneously with Losers, the new documentary Behind The Dance by Nikola Kostić, Jelena’s brother, will be shown. He followed the creative process of the Kostić performance Blind Spot – Rotterdam with his camera and captured the various setbacks and victories in making this challenging location performance. 

CREDITS
Choreography and concept – Jelena Kostić
in collaboration with the dancers – Noëmi Wagner, Blazej Jasinski, Tijmen Teunissen, Oliver Wagstaff
Dramaturgy, concept and text – Lou Cope
Artistic advisor & repetiteur – Judit Ruiz Onandi
Composer – Evelien van den Broek
Set design – Davy van Gerven
Lighting design – Bart Verzellenberg
Costume design – Rens de Waal
Art work / campaign image – Nataša Radosavljević & Lonneke van der Palen
Thanks to – Andreas Denk

With support from: Performing Arts Fund, Municipality of Tilburg, BNG Cultuurfonds, Fonds21