Due to the health crisis, the premiere of “Raum” was cancelled one year ago leaving the two dancers with a lot of time to ponder but also to improve their performance. Photo: Marco Pavone

Due to the health crisis, the premiere of “Raum” was cancelled one year ago leaving the two dancers with a lot of time to ponder but also to improve their performance.  Photo: Marco Pavone

Luxembourgish-Portuguese contemporary dance choreographer William Cardoso explores mental health and coming out struggles in “Raum” and “Dear mum”, two performances taking place at Trois-C-L on 19 and 20 February.

Drawing on inspiration from his experience with coming out as a gay man in Luxembourg, Cardoso has crafted his solo performance “Dear mum” which he sees as a sort of therapeutic way of dealing with his what he went through. The concept which he came up with a year and a half ago is inevitably intertwined with mental health struggles.

“I wanted to talk about suicide. Because in Luxembourg the rates of suicide are super high and then I connected it to the coming out because a lot of young people kill themselves because of wanting to do the coming out and they don’t go for it. So, then I connected both and connected that to my experience,” Cardoso told Delano.

“Dear mum” has also resulted in a documentary about the creative process around fleshing out the project in which Cardoso talk about his coming out. He is currently in talks with Luxembourg high schools to have it presented to students. The aim of this documentary is for young people in Luxembourg who have to face coming out in front of parents and friends to feel less intimidated.

The second performance “Raum”—meaning room or space in Luxembourgish—deals with the feeling of being isolated during lockdown. Cardoso will be joined by his dancing partner Cheyenne Vallejo, in portraying being forced to face one’s personal issues during the pandemic.

Due to the health crisis, the premiere of “Raum” was cancelled one year ago leaving the two dancers with a lot of time to ponder but also to improve their performance. Vallejo, originally from Bordeaux but having also been to New York as part of her dancing studies, admits that, by working with Cardoso, she has more freedom to improvise and to express herself. This performance is also a way to showcase her personal experience with the coronavirus pandemic.

“I had a hard time with it, as I think most people did. There was this desire to escape from it. And it's true that just before all that happened, I had just finished school, so William and I were motivated, we were going to left and right looking for internships or auditions. And it's true that this cut us off, so that's what was difficult too, having nothing when we left school and you feel full of energy that you want to externalise,” said Vallejo.

“Raum” and “Dear mum” will take place at Trois C-L, 12 rue de Puits in Luxembourg City on 19 February at 19:00 and on 20 February at 16:00. Tickets are available at .