Rosas Danst Rosas (1983) was one of the first dances made by the Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker. It features four women and four chairs, a movement vocabulary of percussive contemporary gestures, and a fugue-like structure. When steps from the dance appeared unattributed in Beyoncé’s 2011 video “Countdown,” De Keersmaeker created Re:Rosas! a challenge that asked children and adults alike to learn the vocabulary, make their own version of the dance, and then send her the videos. She received hundreds. With the coming of the coronavirus, De Keersmaeker relaunched Re:Rosas! for a world sheltering at home. The new videos are funny, touching, absurd, and inspiring. One of my favorites is No. 505, titled “De Verdi à Keersmaeker.” Filmed in black and white, it has the feeling of a very odd silent movie. —L.J.

Re:Rosas! was featured in the May 9, 2020 issue of Air Mail. Read on