The Romeo
Picture a single dance for everyone, inspired by a world as it might have been. Choreographer Trajal Harrell’s The Romeo imagines this dance for people of all origins, genders, and generations, of all tempers and moods.
Festival Holland Festival
Run time 75 minutes
Genre dance
Language language no problem
Harrell’s touching, elaborate and sensual dance style is influenced by various different currents, from contemporary dance, vogue, Japanese butoh, ancient Greek theatre to performance art. It does not matter where The Romeo comes from, exactly. Together with his regular group of dancers and a great many costume and music changes, from Satie to Pink Floyd, Harrell creates a mix of different moods and styles. It is an attempt at uncovering histories that were never foregrounded before. It is a ‘what-if...’; historical speculation in the form of a dance style.
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Like Shakespeare’s young lover from Romeo and Juliet, who thought he might conquer death in his enthusiasm, this dance too will feel like it belongs to everyone and has always been there.
Trajal Harrell: ''It’s a real magic trick to get people to believe that they’re watching something old from the present. It’s all in the imagination, all me playing around with what I thought could possibly be, or have been. This is the artistic manoeuvre. It’s a contradiction in terms; historical imagination is always like that.''
CREDITS
with New Kyd, Frances Chiaverini, Vânia Doutel Vaz, Maria Ferreira Silvia, Rob Fordeyn, Challenge Gumbodete, Trajal Harrell, Thibault Lac, Christopher Matthews, Nasheeka Nedsreal, Perle Palmobe, Norel Amestoy Penck, Stephen Thompson, Songhay Toldon, Ondrej Vidlar
direction, choreography, and costumes Trajal Harrell
scenic design Nadja Sofie Eller
soundtrack Trajal Harrell, Asma Maroof
light design Stéfane Perraud
dramaturgy Miriam Ibrahim, Katinka Deecke
audience development Mathis Neuhaus
tour manager Björn Pätz / ART HAPPENS
production assistance Camille Charlotte Roduit
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assistant to the set designers Eva Lillian Wagner
assistant costume design Mona Eglsoer, Monika Annabel Zimmer
production intern Maimuna Barry
inspection Aleksandar Sascha Dinevski
production Schauspielhaus Zürich, Schauspielhaus Zürich Dance Ensemble
coproduction with Festival d’Avignon, Holland Festival, Singapore International Festival of Arts, Berliner Festspiele, La Villette (Paris), Festival d’Automne à Paris, Comédie de Genève, la Bâtie-Festival de Genève, La Comédie de Clermont-Ferrand scène nationale, TANDEM - Scène nationale, December Dance - Concertgebouw & Cultuurcentrum Brugge with the support of Trajal Harrell Schauspielhaus Zürich Dance Ensemble Fan Club
ABOUT HOLLAND FESTIVAL
The Holland Festival is the largest international performing arts festival in the Netherlands and one of the oldest festivals in Europe. Founded in 1947, Holland Festival celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2022.
The festival takes place every June, in and around Amsterdam at various locations, indoors and outdoors, large-scale and intimate, online and offline.
