Experience the rhythm of urban life in ‘Street Chronicles’ by the dynamic collective Chimaera. This interdisciplinary performance celebrates the soul of the streets through music, dance, and video – drawing inspiration from the unspoken stories of street musicians

“In the shadows of its buildings, the voices of progress and protest, while its sidewalks witness the dance of culture and identity.” (F.C., 2024)

“Street Chronicles” is Chimaera’s first performance, created in 2023-2024. Three dancers interact with six live musicians and visual art, expanding the traditional string quartet with an array of sound elements: Percussion, bass guitar, synthesizers, electronics and electric guitar interweave into a soundscape colored by contemporary/classical music, improvisational melodies, traditional blues standards and snatches of pop and rock in works by Kian Ravaei, Caroline Shaw, György Ligeti, Moondog, Bob Dylan, Silke Hamers and Ali Farka Touré.

Silke Hamers’ choreography translates this soundscape into a moving portrait. The dancers move through the tangle of art, ethics, opinions and status that the street brings, guided by the alternating music. Conversations and encounters with street artists, in combination with a musicological research on street artists by Lotte De Munck, sparked questions about both the role and position of “the artist” and the audience in society. 

The street is a metaphor for the constant search for connection and meaning amidst a sea of movement and sound. On the street we find the paradox of loneliness in the crowd, but simultaneously an equality between artists and audience, where place and time coincide. Can we forget our status, is the question Street Chronicles transmits? 

What is the sound of the street?