Because of its narrative character, his work has a straightforward link with theatre. According to Ivo van Hove, who invited the Belgian choreographer Wim Vandekeybus to create a dance production with actors of the “Toneelgroep Amsterdam”.

How is working with actors in a dance piece?
"In advance I do not distinguish between actors and dancers. I do not look at an actor as someone who merely opens his mouth. A good actor also moves in a fascinating way. Vice versa, in choosing dancers, I not only take into account how they move, but also their verbal expression. In the end the players tell a story by means of word and image, or they should be considered as moving stories. I find the composition of the group to be more important. The more diverse the group is, the more experience and technique will be exchanged in the creative process. The performance can only get richer from this. When I decide who gets to do what, I think the energy radiated by the players is more important than their backgrounds. A dancer can tell a story in a very fresh way or tackle a text very creatively. Movements made by actors can likewise be very inspiring. Naturally, technique and professional baggage always is an asset."

Why did you opt for Joop Admiraal, Kitty Courbois and Titus Muizelaar, instead of different, for instance, younger actors from the Toneelgroep Amsterdam theatrical company?
"I saw them at a rehearsal for 'Oedipus', directed by Pierre Audi. The way in which they were present there and took possession of the space impressed me. Each and every one of them is an actor of standing. But my choosing them mainly depended on the composition of the group. They radiate something completely different from the players in my company, who are very young. Their culture baggage also differs. They dispose of an ironic worldly wisdom and manage to put life into perspective. Through them I can tell something completely different than through my Ultima Vez players."

Can you tell something about the contents of Sonic Boom?
"Sonic Boom is to some extent comparable to late night radio. Late night radio is so special because it is much more theatrical and exciting than daytime radio. There is hardly any time pressure; callers get ample time to pour out their drama over the listener. The suspense of late night radio is mainly produced by the mystery of the unknown faces. Who is still listening in the middle of the night?"

How does radio relate to image?
"Radio exemplifies that sound and image do not necessarily go hand in hand. A voice on the radio, and more generally sound, has a great ability to set off the imagination. But it is more than that. To me, sound carries a direct connection with memory and because of that it is connected with specific feelings. Sonic Boom is partially based on an experience I had as a young child. I was playing in the garden when suddenly a loud bang made the earth and windows tremble. My knees gave way; I looked up to the blue sky and heard a jet at one spot, but saw it at another. The bang that made my knees tremble is indelibly printed in my nerves as some primal fear. Sonic Boom will be a show with different layers in which image and sound, thoughts and feelings will have an evolution of their own. As I see things now, the radio will be predominantly narrative, while the dance will not really carry a message."

You will also be working with text. Would that be radio news messages that refer to present-day reality, for instance jets in the Iraqi airspace?
"No. We are making a timeless show. It will be dated to some extent, Sonic Boom will refer to pre-television times for instance, when the magical power of radio was more emphatically present. The texts that I use from Peter Verhelst are like a radio play, which forms a connecting thread throughout the broadcast. It tells the story of the encounter with the unknown who turns life upside down."

For Blush, the production that can be seen next summer at the July dance festival, you worked with David Eugene Edwards, singer and songwriter of the band 16 Horsepower. What is the magic in his music and what will he add to Sonic Boom?
"David is a very versatile creator of atmosphere. In addition to twelve different stringed instruments, he plays various organs, squeezeboxes and little drums. He is a craftsman who can communicate emotions through his music. He will make a few compositions for Sonic Boom, but I will also use other people's music. Radio too does not play music of only one composer."

How fixed is the radio show of Sonic Boom and can dance and play improvisations still influence its course?
"Some directors or choreographers like to feel the support provided by a frame or a script. That does not go for me. I think you should not be fearful of the void behind yourself. Furthermore, that void offers the actors the possibility to make the show their own. Hence nothing is fixed. All in all we have rehearsed for two weeks now, in between the acts. The seeds have been planted there. In the upcoming period we will need to water them and spud out weeds, and some flowers and bushes will probably need to be repotted after that."

Translation by Lot