about us

Matter Affects is an initiative launched by choreographer Samir Calixto and Stacz Wilhelm, artistic coordinator of the Nederlandse Dansdagen and former artistic director of the Korzo Theater, one of the largest production houses in The Netherlands. It is the fruit of a mutual vision in which dance embodies the fluidity and preverbal intensities of life, expanding the forms of human interaction.

The foundation is committed to creating dance works and collaborations of both national and international reach, developing projects of high artistic level in the Overijssel province, in a constant communication with local audiences.

The foundation also believes in collaboration as the key concept behind the sustainable support for artists. Consequently, it chose the city of Zwolle as its home base, entering a close partnership with the consortium Zwolse Theaters and other institutions in Overijssel, added to other national and international partners.

our vision

What art adds to social discourse is the power of imagination; the freedom to think in all directions; the possibility to give empathy, human emotions, complexity and poetic ambiguity a place; and the alchemy to give everything you touch a different color through creativity. That is both a privilege and a responsibility. We are aware of both.

A recurring theme for Matter Affects in all performances and activities is the concern for the fading awareness that we as humans are part of a larger whole: of society, of our cultural heritage, of nature, and of the universe, with its barely conceivable dimensions. We believe that awareness of this commonality, including the responsibilities that come with it, is the basis for any effective approach to the problems we as humanity now face – and diametrically opposed to all forms of egocentrism, populism, and colonisation of the planet.