LOD / Ahilan Ratnamohan

Choreographer and performance artist Ahilan Ratnamohan creates unusual forms in his works inspired by sports and language learning, and has invented Klapping, a dance influenced by football. As an aspiring professional football player, the Sri-Lankan-Tamil-Australian artist once came to Germany, Sweden and The Netherlands to pursue a professional career before deciding to work in theatre. The dream of a football career also led his collaborator, the Nigerian performer Etuwe Bright Junior to Europe, who now makes a living by working in factories whilst playing in regional leagues. Together with the renowned Belgian author and director Josse de Pauw, they examine on stage the inevitable power relations that arise from learning a new language in a foreign country. The three very contrasting artists explore Junior’s migration story but also de Pauw’s typically European texts, which are an integral part of the Flemish canon in Belgium. This leads to a sensitive examination of European power relations, language, migration, and the promise of stardom in today’s football culture.