“Romeo, Romeo, Romeo” is named after Shakespeare’s character who discovers love — where else? — at a dance. Dance is one of the most radically direct ways of presenting oneself to someone else. Our production presents the diversity of forms, the depth of emotion, and the sheer beauty that can  glance of individual be experienced when dance serves as a form of courtship display, as a mating ritual. 

 

Gender is performative; our production provides an exemplary opportunity to watch this theory put into practice. The dancers’ eyes don't gaze out into the distance, instead they seek to catch thel audience members. Bit by bit they get closer, establishing a sense of trust. The audience becomes characters in the very performance they are witnessing.Whilst dancing the dancers try out their best pick-up lines, but they also speak about their strategies and tactics, their memories, hopes and frustrations.The result is an innovative dance production, featuring exuberant group dances, playful interactions with the spectators, and personal insight into this most ancient of dance occasions. It is a celebration of the kinetic splendor engendered by hope and desire.

 

“One side of male culture is portrayed with great humor and even greater empathy. It’s rare to see such a euphoric and artistic entertainment. More, please!”
- Indrani Das Schmid, Schaffhauser Nachrichten

“Fostering ideas about the power and truth of our bodies, the difficulty and diffidence entangled with desire, and the wishes involved in every courtship and mating approach, Monten shows us the effectiveness of dance as something cheerful, an efficacious icebreaker, liberating and therapeutic… The result is superlative. It also makes you think.”
- Veronica Posth, Seeing Dance

 

 

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 and 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, MARCHEPIED.CH, The Yard, Kaserne Basel, Konzert Theater Bern, Zentrum Paul Klee and Art Basel. 

He is also a lecturer at the Hochschule der Künste Bern.

 

Joshua Monten Dance Company
Choreography: Joshua Monten
Dancer: Frederik Kaijser, David Pallant, Katharina Ludwig, Jack Wignall
Dramaturge: Guy Cools
Costume Design: Catherine Voeffray
Stage Design: Romy Springsguth
Lighting Design: Mirjam Berger
Technical Director on Tour: Zara Bowen

Produced by Verein Tough Love
Co-Produced by Dampfzentrale Bern， Werkplaats Diepenheim
Supported by Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia，Kultur Stadt Bern，SWISSLOS / Culture Canton de Berne，Loterie Romande / Corodis

 

 

RRR workshop
The choreographer Joshua Monten will offer a choreographic workshop based on the material in “Romeo, Romeo, Romeo.” The workshop will begin with a short contemporary dance warm-up. After that, the choreographer will discuss the working methods used to create “Romeo, Romeo, Romeo,” which involve a mixture of dance and theater elements. Participants will be invited to creatively explore these methods, both with improvisation and by composing new dance sequences. They will also have the opportunity to learn a choreographic excerpt from the production.