Pia Meuthen (Duisburg, 1972) followed her dance education at the Amsterdam School of the Arts and the Fontys Dance Academy in Tilburg, The Netherlands. Since graduating she has created performances for various Dutch production houses and companies. In 2002 she founded Panama Pictures where she is artistic director and choreographer. From 2009 to 2012, Pia Meuthen/ Panama Pictures was resident choreographer at Danshuis Station Zuid, since 2013 Panama Pictures is resident company of theatre Verkadefabriek in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
With her company Panama Pictures, choreographer Pia Meuthen has developed an authentic signature: unpolished and raw, characterized by the ease in which dance and circus are woven into a new physical language that embraces acrobatics but does not emphasize its technical prowess. It is a powerful language that triggers a physical reaction. As a spectator you feel the impact of the movement, clearly something is at stake. With themes at the crossroads of the personal and the universal, Pia invites her audience to identify with the performers and appeals to a sense of empathy with them.
‘Even though we long for clarity and control over our existence, we have to relate to a world that is complex and unpredictable. In my work I want to make the multi-layered tangible and to portray people who hold their ground in complex situations. Our performances are an invitation to the audience not to unravel a story, but to be open to a multitude of meanings by creating space for their own associations, memories and questions.’ (Pia Meuthen)
Acclaim
Pia’s work has been recognised both nationally and internationally and rewarded with selections for various dance networks such as Modul Dance and Aerowaves. She was also invited to several foreign residences, including the Place in London and Tanzhaus NRW in Düsseldorf. With her company Panama Pictures she is a welcome guest at festivals in Germany, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Poland, England, Austria, China, Malaysia and Indonesia.
The renowned European dance magazine Tanz honored her with the title ‘Hoffnungsträger Tanz’ (Most Promising Talent) in 2014 and wrote: ‘Pia Meuthen convinces as a subtle observer.’
In 2018, Pia Meuthen received the Prins Bernhard Cultuurprijs Noord-Brabant for her unique and impressive oeuvre.
‘Movement and stillness, physical power and tenderness, rich and austere; everything flows seamlessly in the wonderful world of Pia Meuthen.’ (Laudatio, award Prins Bernhard Cultuurprijs)
Supporting young makers
Pia Meuthen is committed to the development of young dance and circus makers. She is a guest lecturer at the Fontys Dance Academy in Tilburg and regularly coaches students and young professionals in their own work.