Snakearms (2021) not standing / Alexander Vantournhout

In a world that slowly moves away from tactility, the handshake was one of the only remains as direct and real physical contact with the other. Since this handshake now has been replaced by an elbow, foot touch or even just a simple nod, Alexander Vantournhout and Emmi Väisänen created a duet, to remind us of the more tactile times from before. Starting from this – rather formal – first body contact, Alexander and Emmi transform a simple handshake to an intricate hand-, arm- and limb-duet. Their bodies tangle up to a mishmash of arms and legs, and joints twist to an extent that the outside eye loses track of. Where one arm begins and another arm stops is no longer clear. The one leading is difficult to be differentiated from the one following. This results in a delicate balance where limbs and bodies mingle up in an inextricable and intimate knot. Snakearms has been selected for Cinedans Festival (Amsterdam), Segal Center Film Festival (New York) and Het Theaterfestival (Belgium).