ROMEO, ROMEO, ROMEO
Dance is a mating ritual.
Even today in the age of Tinder, Grindr and online dating, dance continues to play a central role in how many of us find a mate. This dance production for four Romeos (one of whom is performed by a woman) explores the idea of dance as a thrillingly up close
and personal form of courtship. Each spectator can slip into the role of Juliet and witness the dancers’ struggles to impress — with their artistry, charm, athleticism, slick moves and at times nothing more than naked desperation. The audience sits on seating areas distributed throughout the performance space. Their reactions and interactions are visible to all, thus the audience becomes characters
in the very performance they are witnessing.
The Swiss-American choreographer Joshua Monten was born near New York City. He studied literature and cultural anthropology at Duke University before discovering dance at the relatively late age of 20. As a dancer he performed with Bern Ballett, Stadttheater Heidelberg, Öff Öff Aerial Productions and DA MOTUS! He has worked with choreographers such as Stijn Celis, Hofesh Shechter, Irina Pauls, Konstantinos Rigos und Tino Sehgal. In 2012 Joshua Monten founded his own dance company which has subsequently given hundreds performances at festivals and theaters around the world, including Hivernales d’Avignon, Esplanade Theatre in Singapore, Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival, CIFCET Festival in Cairo, Festival de Danza Nueva in Lima, Krokusfestival Hasselt, Festival de Chassepierre, Swiss Contemporary Dance Days and Queer New York International Arts Festival. Joshua Monten regularly choreographs for theater, opera, ballet, museums and arts outreach programs. Indeed, his work as a choreographer is informed by these encounters with diverse audiences and varied forms of artistic expression. He has received choreography commissions from Ballet National du Rhin, Opéra National de Lorraine, Staatstheater Nürnberg, Gdańsk Dance Festival, The Yard, Kaserne Basel, Konzert Theater Bern, Zentrum Paul Klee and Art Basel. His work has been broadcast on television stations such as Arte and Mezzo and has been seen live by more than 300,000 audience members. www.joshuamonten.com
Choreography: Joshua Monten
Dance: Konstantinos Kranidiotis, Max Makowski, Noa Van Tichel, Jack Wignall
Dramaturgy: Guy Cools
Costume: Catherine Voeffray
Design scene: Romy Springsguth
Light design: Mirjam Berger
Production: Verein Tough Love
Coproduction: Dampfzentrale Bern, Kunsten op Straat / Werkplaats Diepenheim
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