Collectief MAMM is one of the New Adventures makers of 2023. Maxime Abbenhues (Netherlands, 1997) and Mees Meeuwsen (Netherlands, 1998) met at the Urban Contemporary Dance department at the Amsterdam University of the Arts (AHK), where they both graduated in 2020. There, they found each other in their love for partnering and acrobatics. 1 year and a lot of bruises later, Collectief MAMM was born. In their work, they explore partnering techniques that are not based on strength, but on sharing momentum to move another body and thereby aspire to make no distinction between male & female.

Previously, their work has been shown at Karavaan Festival, SSBU (Future is Now), Café Theater Festival, Arnhemse Meisjes, Winterkaravaan, FondsZOZ Academy and Cultuur19, among others, and from this summer internationally in Italy, France and Germany. Since 2020, they have been associated with Karavaan Festival's Makershuis as young makers.

In 2021, they created 'Twentysomething', which was the start of their research into their own generation. The phenomenon of 'the twenty-something' fascinates them so much, in all its complexity, contradiction and superficiality, that they want to delve deeper into this in upcoming creations. Collectief MAMM explores how to make work that is about, for, and by twenty-somethings, something they can identify with and feel involved in. Their concepts are always rooted in how, as young adults, they view the world today to give an insight into a still often misunderstood generation. During their New Adventures residency, Collectief MAMM will conduct movement research using 'bungee cords' as a metaphor for today's inability to stop and stand still.



Photo © Nina Schollaardt