Paradise Now

What remains of the legacy of May ’68? Together with 13 young people between the ages of 14 and 23, choreographer Michiel Vandevelde investigates how the world has evolved in the 50 years between 1968 and now. What happened to the values and ideals of the sixties? How do young people view history and how do they see their future?

The starting point is the legendary performance Paradise Now (1968) by the New York theater company The Living Theater. Inspired by spiritual texts such as I Ching (the book of changes) and the Kabbalah, The Living Theater tried to entice the audience into action by taking them on a four-hour ecstatic trip.

In this new creation, Michiel Vandevelde looks back to say something about the future. Can you still think about the future in a world seriously threatened by climate change? What are the ideals now that we have renounced ideology? How should you revolt now that the digital revolution has taken over the public debate? And yet, when 13 young people scan 50 years of history, in a wild choreography of iconic images, new perspectives may open up.