The new FUSO Canter is ready for almost any job – especially when it’s for such a good cause as MOVES FOR FUTURE, a project by Theaterhaus Stuttgart that visits schools with pop-up dance workshops.
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Eric Gauthier hops like a bunny, munches, scratches his imaginary spoon ears, crouches down and pulls an invisible carrot out of the stage floor with all his might. The choreographer and artistic director of Gauthier Dance, the dance company of Theaterhaus Stuttgart, stretches and strains like a lion that has just woken up. He crawls crouched on all fours, as if the king of beasts is stalking through the savannah on the hunt, only to immediately launch himself forward with a roar and his hands raised in the air. He then hugs and writhes like a pupated caterpillar emerging from its cocoon. Then he spreads out his arms and flutters around in circles as the newly hatched butterfly with triple steps. The whole thing is accompanied by humorous commentary, explanations of the individual movements and cheerful, loud music.
This unconventional performance is probably not what you would expect from a world-famous dancer, but his audience is completely enthralled by the show – and that was exactly the plan. The almost 250 pupils in the playground of the Fasanenhof School in Stuttgart hoot, laugh, jump and fidget along with the artist for 45 minutes.
New FUSO Canter brings the fun and joy of movement to children
A latest-generation FUSO Canter serves as a mobile stage for the Canadian-born performer and committed ambassador for dance. On the non-slip platform of the 3.5-tonne vehicle, the “lead dancer” has a lot of fun and puts his whole body into his MOVES FOR FUTURE project’s schoolyard pop-ups. Not only are the children in grades one to four immediately infected, but the teachers also join in with the “animal dances”.
“I noticed how much my own three children’s activity levels changed during the pandemic. That’s why I wanted to do something that children would enjoy, something that would encourage them to join in, get them moving again and at the same time teach them about dance in a playful way,” says Eric Gauthier, explaining his motivation. Since April 2022, he and his team have already visited over 30 schools in the Stuttgart area with the MOVES FOR FUTURE program. Daimler Truck AG has supported the initiative from the very beginning and provides the MOVES FOR FUTURE vehicle – this year a new Canter 3S15 with a factory body.
I noticed how much my own three children's activity levels changed during the pandemic. That's why I wanted to do something that children would enjoy, something that would encourage them to join in, get them moving again and at the same time teach them about dance in a playful way.
Classic Canter features make it the ideal “dance partner”
The pop-colored Canter wrapped in the MOVES FOR FUTURE design is the ideal cast for this part of the show, because with its short wheelbase of 2800 mm, it has a turning circle of just 11.2 m. This makes it almost as agile, agile and easy to maneuver as a passenger car. Its narrow, only 1695 mm wide standard cab with a full windshield does the rest in terms of visibility.
This proves to be an enormous advantage when it comes to bringing it onto a playground as a stage. This is because the access roads to the venues are almost always not suitable for large vehicles. This was also the case for the pop-up at the Fasanenhof School. While the FUSO Canter easily squeezes through the gate on a small residential road behind the schoolyard, the driver of the classic 7.5-ton van, which brings the equipment, speakers, amplifiers, mixing console and decorative flags to the venue, has to maneuver several times to enter the grounds.
Another plus point is that anyone in the team can drive the light truck, as you only need a class B driving license for the 3.5 t version. It also doesn’t take up much space when parked at the Theaterhaus between performances. The FUSO Canter will continue its successful guest appearance at MOVES FOR FUTURE until the end of 2024.
