THE DUST OF MY CONCRETE CHILD – PORTRAIT 5: Emptiness & Void

"THE DUST OF MY CONCRETE CHILD a video catalogue of portraits on intimacy and violence ‘The Dust of My Concrete Child’ is a video catalogue consisting of 7 short films that portray 7 different perspectives of intimacy and violence. Stripped from their usual social and emotional contexts, intimacy is understood and explored as a fragile state and violence as a brutal force not as an act of aggression. The series follows seven dancers as they navigate through different narratives and atmospheres on a dystopic but poetic journey filled with sensations of discomfort, loneliness, fragility, vulnerability, and desire. While the films form a connected universe, each portrait stands fully on its own. Every PORTRAIT (short film) offers a distinct perspective on the topic. PORTRAIT 5: EMPTINESS AND VOID The void is an empty space with no tangible anchor points. Being stuck in isolation the dancers are confronted with themselves, they are falling into their own world, collapsing, floating and suffocating under the force of a crushing loneliness. On an emotional journey this film captures them longing for response, spiraling to a point where their perception blurs and the physical memory of their own bodies disappears. They lose control of themselves as if their identity is slowly vanishing. "

"CRUELBEHAVIOR Projects CRUELBEHAVIOR Projects is an emerging new dance company initiated by Lino Eckenstein and collaborating artists. Interested and inspired by ideas of friction, gender, empowerment, desire, legacy and death. Aiming to produce boundary pushing work that resonates with people on a level that might be uncomfortable or triggering. CRUELBEHAVIOR Projects is unapologetic, vulnerable and pure. And in its essence always true to the human experience. We are approaching dance from the point of: ‘Never stop exploring, pushing limitations and surprising yourself. Dance always tells a story, is never apolitical and indefinitely evokes emotions.’ Lino Eckenstein CHOREOGRAPHY, CONCEPT, DIRECTION Lino Eckenstein was born in 2002 in Vienna, Austria. Since 2021 they are studying at Fontys Academy of the Arts Tilburg in the Netherlands where they worked on projects with Eastman Dance Company (Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui), Cecilia Moisio, Maria Sartzetaki and many others. They received multiple scholarships for dance Festival around Europe to grow as an artist and expand their network. In 2023 Lino started to work with ALLEYNE Dance as an Intern and Rehearsal Assistant on various Projects. For the season 2024/25 they joined the ensemble of TANZ_Kassel (Staatstheater Kassel). As an emerging choreographer they created their first solo with Ana Paula Lemus Piayatsou which was performed around the Netherlands. Going along with their career as dancer Lino will start creating under his company CRUELBEHAVIOR Projects. Lino believes that being vulnerable and personal is the core essence of this profession and passion. Their work is not shying away from confrontation and emotional and physical intensity. Eden Manga-Nkoy CO-DIRECTION, MOVEMENT DIRECTION, PRODUCTION Eden Manga-Nkoy is a 25-year-old French-Congolese dancer, movement director, and cultural advocate. Currently completing her dance studies at Fontys Dance Academy in the Netherlands, grounding her artistic identity within contemporary dance and street and club styles. Throughout her journey, Eden has collaborated with esteemed choreographers such as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Dalton Jansen, Fanny Sage, and Humanhood Dance Company. In 2024, she was honored with the VandenEnde Foundation Prize and received support from Alleyne Dance Company to attend the prestigious Impulstanz Dance Festival in Vienna. Her artistic curiosity extends beyond performance. As a movement director, Eden has notably assisted Fanny Sage in productions for Balmain and the production house Motion Palace. Alongside her artistic career, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from Université Lumière Lyon 2 (France) and York University (Canada). Deeply committed to cultural advocacy, she directed the international dance event R2D Netherlands for three years, fostering creative exchange and making cultural bridges in the dance community. Eden’s artistry is rooted in sensation, musicality, resilience, and groundness. She approaches direction with a deep sense of storytelling, crafting movement that embodies memories of shared experiences, and lived sensations. She finds inspiration in starting from a sense of realness and of honesty to enter intimacy, allowing her to translate emotion into striking visual narratives."