Paradise?

Every day we hear news of refugees stranded or drowned at sea as they try to reach Europe. They hope for a better life in the “paradisiacal” conditions of the Western world. We hear of environmental disasters that turn life into a “living hell” for people. Others flee this “valley of tears” and console themselves with the hope of a paradise said to lie somewhere in a vague afterlife. Or is paradise perhaps only in our minds? Or maybe buried in the form of a treasure right beneath our feet? Our ideas and desires for a better world or an ideal that comes close to paradise are manifold. We set out in search of it through the art of dance. Might this open up a possibility to catch a glimpse of paradise or, for a brief moment, peek behind the curtain into another, brighter world? Together with the dancers, we embark on a journey—much like Dante in his “Divine Comedy”—exploring our inner spaces, letting our imaginations run wild, and eagerly anticipating our discoveries.