Normality No More - Schuberts Winterreise revisited
Conny Janssen Danst, Via Berlin en Ragazze Quartet
Dance company Conny Janssen Danst from Rotterdam is one of the leading modern dance companies in the Netherlands. In Normality No More, composer Schubert's Winterreise takes center stage. In this piece, a protagonist embarks on a lonely winter journey after being abandoned by his beloved. Modern dance, music theater, and classical music merge into a new interpretation. It is a call for understanding and empathy towards people who experience the world differently than the majority.
A bestseller in classical music, Schubert's Winterreise, is stripped down to the bone and rebuilt anew. In the original Winterreise, the protagonist embarks on a solitary, wintry journey after being abandoned by his love. Seeking inner peace but tormented and haunted by memories, he remains despondent on the ice. In Normality No More, modern dance, music theater, and classical music merge into a new rendition.
In Normality No More, all dancers, musicians, and actors portray characters inspired by both personal experiences and scientific research on neurodivergence. They showcase their strength and vulnerability, embrace their own diversity, and simultaneously yearn for social integration. The audience experiences what it's like to step into the shoes of people perceived as 'strange' and discovers the unique, multifaceted, and wondrous qualities of the neurodiverse individual.
Ragazze Quartet had previously created a version of Winterreise, originally written for baritone and piano on a poem by Wilhelm Müller, for baritone and string quartet. In Normality No More, they assemble a colorful ensemble with an unusual combination of instruments and styles, featuring countertenor, jazz vocals, string quartet, electronics, keyboards, percussion, and bagpipes.
The performance of Normality No More is the artistic product of a collaboration between Dagmar Slagmolen (Via Berlin), choreographer Davide Bellotta (Conny Janssen Danst), and Ragazze Quartet under the final direction of Ria Marks and advice from Conny Janssen.
