A Dash Of Strangeness

Christine Matschke
Dance journalist

“What now?” was the question even the TANZKOMPLIZEN had to ask themselves in view of the social-distancing regulations that have gone into effect for stage productions. And they found a clever solution: They invited dancers who aren’t required to keep their distance – family members. Co-directors Livia Patrizi and Joachim Schloemer asked artists close to them, their partners and children to develop 25-minute family portraits. A total of four pieces were created in the process. After the start with “ORBIT” by Laurie Young, Grayson and Milo Millwood, Elisa Zucchetti is now performing with her children Gemma and Oscar. In “Fenster zum Hof” (“Rear Window”) the little family relates, with dance, experiences of their everyday life in the  age of Coronavirus: about closed hair salons, time at home and a virus that makes trips to see relatives and other places we all long to visit impossible. In December, mother-daughter needs are negotiated in “Abstandsregler” (“Distance Control”) by Hanna and Lotta Hegenscheidt. For “Blicke” (“Looks”), on the other hand, Janne Ramatou Gregor and daughter Coco have asked themselves how close you can be to each other when dancing and whether a dash of strangeness is actually needed just to keep the dance (of life) going.