Requiem for a Young Soul is a raw, cinematic dance performance by Charles Pas. Two dancers move through a space between memory and reality, trapped in their grief. They search for each other, both broken. What happens when you want to comfort someone, but have no ground to stand on yourself?
The performance explores the entanglement of love and mourning—how loss can overshadow everything, but also the resilience that lies within it. In an atmosphere filled with dreamlike visions and fading shadows, the audience is taken on a hallucinatory journey. The music—a mix of post-rock and shoegaze—adds to the intensity of the experience.
Charles Pas is known for his physical, direct storytelling. In his work, he seeks the raw essence of being human in a world that often feels elusive. His performances are frequently attempts to bridge the distance between people. This is also reflected in Requiem for a Young Soul, where feelings of alienation and loss are made tangible.
The press has praised the intensity and dynamism of the performance. According to de Volkskrant:
“Charles Pas brings tremendous dynamism and variation to an apparently simple movement. He proves himself a strikingly precise theatre maker who fully engages his audience to interpret and feel for themselves.”
This dance performance is not an answer, but an invitation—to pause together in the face of loss, comfort, and the power of connection. A space where it’s okay to get lost, in order to perhaps rediscover something of yourself, or someone else.
This performance is part of SHIFT, an initiative by Explore the North and Stadsschouwburg De Harmonie.
Unvarnished performing arts: raw, honest, current, and disruptive. SHIFT is where you go to discover what truly matters—inside your head, in the world, with others, and within yourself, both big and small. For curious thinkers and critical dreamers. Throughout the year, SHIFT presents must-see performances at various locations, away from the beaten track of traditional theatre. From spoken word to postmodern dance. From theatrical manifesto to poetic requiem. Performances by both emerging and established makers that engage with today’s world and tomorrow’s possibilities.