With his new creation The Romeo, Trajal Harrell wants to create a “what if”, a historical speculation, summed up in a dance style. No one is certain where the dance style originated or who first danced it. It has been around for as long as anyone can remember. It is passed down from generation to generation and through the future. It is through remembering that the dance unearths.
Picture a dance. Let’s call it The Romeo, after Shakespeare’s young lover who, in ignited enthusiasm, believed he could conquer death. Picture this dance, which would be known all over the world, although no one would know when and where it was created. Some would say that it was first danced many centuries ago while herding sheep in an alpine pasture; others might claim to have seen it for the first time at a rural funeral; perhaps it was created during a break in a mine shaft or after an errant shot during a hunt on the North American steppes; or maybe the daughter of a Japanese fisherman danced The Romeo for the first time when her father had reached the safe shore again after a violent storm. No matter where The Romeo might have originated: Picture the dance that people of all origins, genders and generations, of all tempers and moods, perform when they have left their tragedies behind and are just dancing. Trajal Harrell will now bring it on stage. And maybe that’s where the story really begins.
Staging, Choreography, Stage design, Costumes: Trajal Harrell
With New Kyd, Frances Chiaverini, Vânia Doutel Vaz, Maria Ferreira Silva, Rob Fordeyn, Challenge Gumbodete, Trajal Harrell, Thibault Lac, Christopher Matthews, Nasheeka Nedsreal, Perle Palombe, Norel Amestoy Penck, Stephen Thompson, Songhay Toldon, Ondrej Vidlar
Stage Design: Nadja Sofie Eller
Soundtrack: Trajal Harrell, Asma Maroof
Lighting: Stéfane Perraud
Dramaturgy: Miriam Ibrahim, Katinka Deecke
Audience Development: Mathis Neuhaus
Production: Björn Pätz
Production Assistance: Camille Charlotte Roduit
Stage design assistance: Eva Lillian Wagner
Costume Design Assistant: Mona Eglsoer, Monika Annabel Zimmer
Production intern: Maimuna Barry
Inspection: Aleksandar Sascha Dinevski
Production: Schauspielhaus Zürich with the Schauspielhaus Zürich Dance Ensemble
Co-production: Festival d’Avignon, Berliner Festspiele, La Villette Paris, Festival d’Automne à Paris, Holland Festival Amsterdam, Comédie de Genève, La Bâtie-Festival de Genève, La Comédie de Clermont-Ferrand scène nationale, TANDEM Scène national Douai, Singapore International Festival of Arts, December Dance Concertgebouw en Cultuurcentrum Brugge
Diffusion: ART HAPPENS and Schauspielhaus Zürich collaborate on the diffusion of The Romeo
| Date | Performance | City Country | Organisation/Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21.04.2024 | The Romeo | Zurich (ch) | Schauspielhaus Zürich |
| 18.05.2024 | The Romeo | Singapore (sg) | Singapore International Festival of Arts |
| 19.05.2024 | The Romeo | Singapore (sg) | Singapore International Festival of Arts |
| 25.06.2024 | The Romeo | Amsterdam (nl) | Holland Festival |
| 26.06.2024 | The Romeo | Amsterdam (nl) | Holland Festival |
| 27.06.2024 | The Romeo | Amsterdam (nl) | Holland Festival |
| 12.12.2024 | The Romeo | Brussels (be) | Kaaitheater / Théâtre national |
| 13.12.2024 | The Romeo | Brussels (be) | Kaaitheater / Théâtre national |
| 15.02.2024 | The Romeo | Douai (fr) | TANDEM scène national Arras-Douai |
| 14.02.2024 | The Romeo | Douai (fr) | TANDEM scène national Arras-Douai |
| 12.12.2023 | The Romeo | Bruges (be) | Concertgebouw |
| 09.12.2023 | The Romeo | Paris (fr) | Festival d'Automne à Paris & La Villette |
| 08.12.2023 | The Romeo | Paris (fr) | Festival d'Automne à Paris & La Villette |
| 07.12.2023 | The Romeo | Paris (fr) | Festival d'Automne à Paris & La Villette |
| 01.12.2023 | The Romeo | Clermont-Ferrand (fr) | La Comédie de Clermont |
| 30.11.2023 | The Romeo | Clermont-Ferrand (fr) | La Comédie de Clermont |
| 16.09.2023 | The Romeo | Geneva (ch) | La Bâtie - Festival de Genève/Comédie de Genève |
| 15.09.2023 | The Romeo | Geneva (ch) | La Bâtie - Festival de Genève/Comédie de Genève |
| 13.08.2023 | The Romeo | Berlin (de) | Tanz im August/Berliner Festspiele |
| 12.08.2023 | The Romeo | Berlin (de) | Tanz im August/Berliner Festspiele |
| 23.07.2023 | The Romeo | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 22.07.2023 | The Romeo | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 20.07.2023 | The Romeo | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 19.07.2023 | The Romeo | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 18.07.2023 | The Romeo | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 22.05.2023 | The Romeo | Zurich (ch) | Schauspielhaus Zürich |
| 07.05.2023 | The Romeo | Zurich (ch) | Schauspielhaus Zürich |
| 01.05.2023 | The Romeo | Zurich (ch) | Schauspielhaus Zürich |
| 30.04.2023 | The Romeo | Zurich (ch) | Schauspielhaus Zürich |
| 28.04.2023 | The Romeo | Zurich (ch) | Schauspielhaus Zürich |
| 27.04.2023 | The Romeo | Zurich (ch) | Schauspielhaus Zürich |
| 16.04.2023 | The Romeo | Zurich (ch) | Schauspielhaus Zürich |
| 15.04.2023 | The Romeo | Zurich (ch) | Schauspielhaus Zürich |
| 08.04.2023 | The Romeo | Zurich (ch) | Schauspielhaus Zürich |
| 03.04.2023 | The Romeo | Zurich (ch) | Schauspielhaus Zürich |
| 01.04.2023 | The Romeo (Premiere) | Zurich (ch) | Schauspielhaus Zürich |