Voorwaarts | Esmay Usmany

They arrived in the Netherlands, and parts of their souls remained behind in the rice fields, in the kampongs, at the markets. And then there was that part that did travel along across oceans, along the equator, into the cold. They built their lives, had children, and cycled with them over dikes, past windmills and meadows. Gently and silently searching to be able to be here and to be able to stay there. I know that search. And my performance Voorwaarts (Forward) is about that duality, in which I encounter different parts of myself: grieving, accepting, and flowing parts. But also parts that are stuck, trapped, perhaps holding on.

For who are you when your roots grew in multiple places? What happens to a dream when it crosses a border? Does it shrink or does it grow wings? How do you find home when the map of your memories is scattered across multiple locations? And how do you break free from family patterns that are simultaneously a foothold and a constricting shoe? I sing, act, and tell stories about these questions in the music theater performance Voorwaarts. With scenes that breathe nostalgia, humor, and hope. For everyone who has ever moved, stayed behind, or simply wants to move forward.

www.esmayusmany.com