Danish Dance Theatre

10 - 22 Sep 2007

Touring Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou

Repertoire: Kridt, Animal Park

Established in 1981, Danish Dance Theatre is one of the major forces in contemporary dance in Denmark. Choreographer Tim Rushton was offered the artistic leadership in 2001. He rebooted the company, towards a new strong artistic profile. Since his take-over, the company has developed itself into a company, which is in demand, producing fascinating works and events nationally as well as internationally. Under Rushton, the company has flourished into a highly individual landmark – where his close collaboration with the dancers bridges many boundaries of styles and techniques. The company demonstrates a unique ability to reflect the nuances of human relationships. This success has for the first time caused much admiration among the circuits of dance and theatre in Denmark. Rushton refuses to follow trends, therefore influencing a new Nordic profile for a company of great potential.

KRIDT

Kridt (Chalk) ... a soft, fine-grained drawing instrument, used throughout time by man in order to systematize chaos by illustrating and writing. Based on Peteris Vasks’ string quartet Musica Adventus (1996) and biblical text from Ecclesiastes, Tim Rushton and his dancers draw the contour of a man, standing on the edge of his grave. In a split second – balancing between life and death - life passes by: Doubt, trust, solidarity, loneliness, encounters that took place and meetings that never materialized…Kridt tells in dance, music and in spoken and written words about man’s attempt to accept and comprehend.

The choreography received the prestigious Danish Reumert Award in 2005.

ANIMAL PARK

Animal Park is an unusual work for Tim Rushton. He normally takes the deliberately chosen music and a defined theme as his starting point when creating a new choreography; but this time he has decided to use the varied backgrounds and the many nationalities of the company dancers as a springboard.