Scala & Limited
'In Scala the varying widths and heights of the steps and the movement of the stair form a great danger that the women try to face together.'
Choreographer Krisztina de Châtel’s double bill Scala & Limited features five female dancers in Scala and a male solo in Limited.
Run time 60 minutes
Genre dance
Language Language no problem
Opening night Sat October 8
Scala & Limted
The restrictions of the past year and a half suddenly made man’s eternal struggle with his limitations – a recurring theme in de Châtel’s choreographies – very timely and relevant. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has, however, also intensified a much greater social problem: the feeling of being existentially trapped – as a man or woman, as white or black, as a human being. This sense of entrapment is surfacing everywhere as a result of global threats such as polarisation, terror, climate change and the lack of perspective and opportunities for physical and spiritual growth. People’s individual creative space appears to be shrinking.
De Châtel articulates this sense of imprisonment in this double bill: in Scala, five women try to gain a foothold on a revolving spiral staircase; in Limited, a male dancer trapped in a glass cylinder explores his range of movement.
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Hungarian-born choreographer Krisztina de Châtel has made more than 70 choreographies and three dance films. De Châtel continues to captivate audiences with her unique, energetic style that is filled with mathematical movements. The successful reruns of Thron (2017/18) and (Im)Pulse (2019), as well as the acclaimed double bill Feminale (2021) show that her performances continue to resonate with new generations of viewers. Her performances revolve around contrasts and confrontations: vulnerable human bodies are faced with natural elements such as wind, earth and water or the imposing space of a church or a hangar. But there is also a struggle raging within the body: between passion and control, between individual freedom and the anonymity and safety of the collective.
KRISZTINA DE CHÂTEL about scala & limited
'The intensity and variation of human movement do not necessarily become richer when an individual disposes over more space. On the contrary, a highly constricted space can generate profound intensity.'
Trouw
'It is amazing how de Châtel uses contrasts: man-machine, light-dark, sensitive-hard. The stair is like a war machine: once it has been activated, it cannot be stopped'
NRC
'It is typical De Châtel: assertive women, fully focused on performing minimalist patterns. It is also de Châtel today: inspired by spatial challenges, as well as social and geopolitical developments'
Credits
choreography Krisztina de Châtel
composition J.S. Bach, Han Otten
dancers Scala Marina Bilterijst, Alice Gioria, Martina Orlandi, Federica Panariello, Patricia van Deutekom
dancer Limited Ivan Montis
stage lighting Bernie van Velzen
