Apocalyptic all-terrain dance performance
“Kill Your Darlings” is a twenty-minute dance performance for two dancers. It is designed to be performed anywhere, indoors or outdoors, day or night. It makes a big mess. It has been performed more than three hundred times around the world, in public squares, subway stations, schools, shopping centers and street corners.
“Kill Your Darlings” begins in familiar territory. “Hello, darling!” Two men appear and draw chalk squares on the ground. They begin a game of hopscotch (locally known as Himmel-und-Hölle, marelle, rayuela, hinkelen…), dancing in unison and repeating their sequences again and again.
With nerdy precision, the basic geometries and rhythms of the game grow increasingly complicated and physically demanding, transforming bit by bit into a kaleidoscopic journey around the world of body percussion.
CHOREOGRAPHER
Joshua Monten
DANCERS
Joshua Monten
Jack Wignall
Vittorio Bertolli [alternate]
Armando Disanto [alternate]
Sandra Klimek [alternate]
Konstantinos Kranidiotis [alternate]
Valentin Markus Oppermann [alternate]
Alexandre Nadra [alternate]
Petr Nedbal [alternate]
COSTUMES
Verena Leo
PRODUCED BY
Tough Love
SUPPORTED BY
Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia
SWISSLOS/Kultur Kanton Bern
Kultur Stadt Bern
Loterie Romande / Corodis
Dampfzentrale Bern
Oertli Stiftung
PERFORMANCE HISTORY
20 June 2015 (tryout) — Dampfzentrale Bern (CH) (try-out)
6-8 August 2015 (8x) — Buskers Bern Festival, Bern (CH) (premiere)
2 April 2016 — Performa Festival, Piazza Collegiata, Bellinzona (CH)
19 April 2016 — Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival, Palestinian Red Crescent, Al-Bireh (PS)
19 April 2016 — Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival, Sareyyet Ramallah, Ramallah (PS)
20 April 2016 — Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival, Terra Santa School, Jericho (PS)
20 April 2016 — Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival, Separation Wall, Bethlehem (PS)
7 May 2016 — TanZeiT ZeiTanZ Festival, Alexanderplatz, Chur (CH)
12 May 2016 — Fête de la danse, Place de l’Europe, Lausanne (CH)
13 May 2016 — Fête de la danse, Métropole, La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH)
13 May 2016 — Fête de la danse, Faubourg, Neuchâtel (CH)
13 May 2016 — Das Tanzfest, Rümelinsplatz, Basel (CH)
14 May 2016 — Fête de la danse, Saint-Imier (CH)
14 May 2016 — Das Tanzfest, Badstrasse, Baden (CH)
14 May 2016 — Das Tanzfest, Roter Platz, St. Gallen (CH)
15 May 2016 — Fête de la danse, Plaine de Plainpalais, Geneva (CH)
16 May 2016 (2x) — Fête de la danse, Rue de Romont, Fribourg (CH)
4-5 June 2016 (4x) — Artisti in Piazza Festival, Pennabilli (I)
15 June 2016 — TanzbeWEGung, Boll (CH)
18 June 2016 (2x) — Fête de la musique, Place du Marché, Carouge (CH)
23 June 2016 — Fragmentos de Junio Festival, Fundación Alaya, Guayaquil (EC)
23 June 2016 — Fragmentos de Junio Festival, Universidad de las Artes, Guayaquil (EC)
24 June 2016 — Fragmentos de Junio Festival, Universidad de Cuenca, Cuenca (EC)
25 June 2016 — Fragmentos de Junio Festival, Albergue Tohali, Manta (EC)
25 June 2016 — Fragmentos de Junio Festival, Albergue Las Vegas, Manta (EC)
9 September 2016 — Vorstadtquai, Young ID Showcase, Zug (CH)
9 September 2016 — Bundesplatz, Young ID Showcase, Zug (CH)
10 September 2016 — Vorstadtquai, Young ID Showcase, Zug (CH)
10 September, 2016 — Landsgemeindeplatz, Young ID Showcase, Zug (CH)
25 September 2016 (4x) — Fêtes Romanes Festival, Brussels/Woluwe-Saint-Lambert (B)
27 September 2016 — Marlboro College, Marlboro, VT (US)
30 September 2016 —Broadview Thomson School, Seattle (US)
30 September 2016 — Broadway Performance Hall, Men In Dance Festival, Seattle (US)
1-2 October 2016 (2x) — Broadway Performance Hall, Men In Dance Festival, Seattle (US)
20 April 2017 — Tanzwoche Dresden (D)
5 May 2017 — Place de l’Ancienne-Poste, Fête de la danse, Yverdon-les-Bains (CH)
5 May 2017 — Quai Perdonnet, Fête de la danse, Vevey (CH)
6 May 2017 — Archplatz, Das Tanzfest, Winterthur (CH)
6 May 2017 (2x) — Münsterhof, Zürich Tanzt Festival, Zürich (CH)
7 May 2017 (2x) — ZeughausKultur, Das Tanzfest, Brig (CH)
2 July 2017 (3x) — Festival BuitenGewoon, Doetinchem (B)
9 July 2017 (2x) — Akropoditi Dancefest, Syros (GR)
14-16 July 2017 (6x) — Château de Blandy-les-Tours (F)
14 August 2017 — Sekundarstufe 1 Neuenegg, Neuenegg BE (CH)
16-17 August 2017 (6x) — Billingham International Festival of World Dance, Stockton-on-Tees (GB)
19-20 August 2017 (6x) — Festival de Chassepierre (B)
5 September 2017 — Danza Urbana Festival, Bologna (I)
21 September 2017 — FIND Festival, Bastione di Saint Remy, Cagliari (I)
29 September – 1 October 2017 (3x) — Plate-forme InciDance, Fribourg (CH)
15 October 2017 — Anfiteatro Tomas Borge, Festival Internacional de Danza Contemporánea de Nicaragua, Managua (NI)
16 October 2017 — Universidad de León, Festival Internacional de Danza Contemporánea de Nicaragua, León (NI)
17 October 2017 — Casa de los Tres Mundos, Festival Internacional de Danza Contemporánea de Nicaragua, Granada (NI)
18 October 2017 — Universidad UNAN, Festival Internacional de Danza Contemporánea de Nicaragua, Managua (NI)
21 October 2017 — Festival Città delle 100 Scale, Potenza (I)
10 November 2017 (2x) — Kaserne Basel (CH)
10-11 February 2018 (4x) — Krokusfestival, Hasselt (B)
31 March – 2 April 2018 (9x) — Tweetakt Festival, Utrecht (NL)
20 April 2018 — Tanzwoche Dresden, Landesbühnen Radebeul (D)
21 April 2018 — Tanzwoche Dresden, vor der Altmarktgalerie, Dresden (D)
21 April 2018 — Tanzwoche Dresden, Jorge-Gomondai-Platz, Dresden-Neustadt (D)
21 April 2018 — Tanzwoche Dresden, vor der Scheune, Dresden-Neustadt (D)
21 April 2018 — Tanzwoche Dresden, Alaunpark, Dresden-Neustadt (D)
5 May 2018 (3x) — SWOP Festival, Roskilde (DK)
6 May 2018 (2x) — SWOP Festival, Roskilde (DK)
26 May 2018 (2x) — Szene Waldviertel, Horn, Austria (AT)
30 May – 3 June (12x) — Tête-à-Tête Festival, Rastatt (D)
10 June 2018 (2x) — BRONKS/Festival C’est Party, Bronksplein, Brussels (B)
17 June 2018 (2x) — Theater aan het Water, Boom (B)
4-5 August 2018 (5x) — La Tournée des Plages, Malsaucy/Belfort, France (F)
25 August 2018 (2x) — Welkom Thuis Festival, Rotterdam (NL)
31 August 2018 — Move It Festival, Metropolis, Copenhagen (DK)
1-2 September 2018 (2x) — Move It Festival, Metropolis, Copenhagen (DK)
27 September – 12 October 2018 (29x) — AWESOME Children’s Arts Festival, Perth (AU)
4-5 October 2018 (2x) — High Fest, Yerevan (AR)
27-30 October 2018 (8x) — De Rode Hond Festival, Leuven (B)
3 May 2019 — Primarschule Boll, Switzerland (CH)
22-26 May 2019 (12x) — DreamBIG Festival, Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide (AU)
9-10 June 2019 (6x) — ParkPerPlex Festival, Norderstedt, (D)
15-18 June 2019 (10x) — Blickfelder Festival, Zurich (CH)
23-27 June 2019 (4x) — Arctic Arts Festival, Harstad (NO)
5-6 July 2019 (3x) — Full Spin Festival, Essen (D)
7 July 2019 (3x) — Dansand Festival, Ostend (B)
23 August 2019 (2x) — ZIGZAG Festival, Place du Marché, Renens (CH)
24 August 2019 (2x) — ZIGZAG Festival, Chavannes-près-Renens (CH)
24 August 2019 — ZIGZAG Festival, Crissier (CH)
2 December 2019 (2x) — Haute École Pédagogique, Delémont (CH)
18-20 April 2020 (7x) — Barnafestivalurin, Faroe Islands (FO) — CANCELLED: COVID-19
16 May 2020 (2x) — Strassentheatertage, Naumburg (D) — CANCELLED: COVID-19
27-28 June (2x) — Pavilion Dance South West, Bournemouth (GB) — CANCELLED: COVID-19
18 July 2020 — Y s’passe un truc, La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH)
3-5 October 2020 (7x) — Barnafestivalurin, Faroe Islands (FO) — CANCELLED: COVID-19
8-17 January 2021 (online performance) — Mostra Espectacular, Curitiba (BR)
23 May 2021 (3x) — Vorpommern tanzt an Festival, Greifswald (D) — CANCELLED: COVID-19
2 July 2021 (2x) — Fête de la jeunesse, Neuchâtel (CH)
8 July — Meyrin les Bains, Meyrin (CH)
27 July 2021 — Zadar Snova, Šime Budinić Square, Zadar (HR)
18-19 September 2021 (5x) — Môtiers Art en plein air, Val-de-Travers (CH)
18 September 2021 — Fachwerkhof, Melzow (D)
19 September 2021 (3x) — Tanzfest, Greifswald (D)
3 April 2022 (3x) — Frítt Flog Festival, Nordic House, Tórshavn (FO)
4 April 2022 — Frítt Flog Festival, Norðdepil (FO)
4 April 2022 — Frítt Flog Festival, Toftir (FO)
5 April 2022 — Frítt Flog Festival, Tórshavn (FO)
5 April 2022 — Frítt Flog Festival, Argir (FO)
28 May 2022 (2x) — Straßentheatertage, Naumburg (D)
7-8 July 2022 (4x) — Les Places au Soleil, Lausanne (CH)
9 July 2022 (3x) — Tour de France, Lausanne (CH)
15 July 2022 (2x) — Les Places au Soleil, Lausanne (CH)
31 July 2022 (3x) — Garden Parties, Lausanne, Parc d’Ouchy, Lausanne (CH)
16 August 2022 (2x) — Campus Muristalden, Bern (CH)
18-19 August 2022 (4x) — Les Places au Soleil, Lausanne (CH)
24 August 2022 — Market for Performing Arts, Sandefjord (NO)
1 September 2022 (2x) — Primarschule Waldegg, Münchenbuchsee (CH)
3-4 September 2022 (2x) — PlayBern Festival, Waisenhausplatz, Bern (CH)
25 September 2022 (3x) — Huningue (F)
18-21 October 2022 (3x) — Schulhaus Spitalacker, Bern (CH)
1 November 2022 — Schulhaus Wankdorf, Bern (CH)
3 November 2022 — Schule Trimstein, Trimstein (CH)
3 November 2022 — Mosaikschule Munzinger, Bern (CH)
18 November 2022 — Schulhaus Stapfenacker, Bern (CH)
22 November 2022 — Mosaikschule Munzinger, Bern (CH)
22 November 2022 — Schulhaus Marzili, Bern (CH)
14 March 2023 — Mosaikschule Munzinger, Bern (CH)
24-26 August 2023 (4x) — BICT Festival, Phetchaburi (TH)
28-29 August 2023 (3x) — BICT Festival, Bangkok (TH)
31 August – 2 September 2023 (4x) — BICT Festival, Uttaradit (TH)
5 September 2023 — Schule Mengestorf, Köniz (CH)
14 October 2023 (2x) — Allure Folle Festival, Dunkerque (F)
29 April 2024 — Primarschule Interlaken (CH)
17-18 August 2024 (4x) — Trottoirfest, Rheinfelden (CH)
24 August 2024 (2x) — Weststadt Kunterbunt, Schorndorf (D)
2-4 November 2024 (4x) — SEGNI New Generations Festival, Mantua (I)
11 January 2025 — TTKJ Schaufenster, Heitere Fahne, Köniz CH)
30 Januar 2025 — Schule Riggisberg, Riggisberg (CH)
2 April 2025 — Schule Biglin, Biglin (CH)