“Virtuosic and explosive”
Rhein Main Verlag, 24 February 2023
Before dance became art, before it tried to express anything, before it was a ceremony or a technique, it was a game.
Gaming is a thread that connects many of Joshua Monten’s previous work. Now, in “Game Theory,” Monten looks a bit more deeply at the basic building blocks of play: freedom and rules, ritual and surprise, adrenaline and flow. “Game Theory” is a kinesthetic portrait of play — a typology of play’s basic forms — which is highly personal and still immediately recognizable. The result is an aesthetically rigorous composition with ample room for freedom and joy.
To play means to act out situations that are not possible or not allowed in daily life. To play means to destroy and create, to flirt with danger, to release one’s animal energies, to experience the thrills of domination and being dominated. The games we like the best are often the ones that have consequences and risks, games that are more than just a game, games that make our head spin and can break our heart.
Both both an indoor version (60 minutes) and a street theater version (30 minutes) of the choreography are available for performance.
“Particularly lovely and sensually sensible: the performance is exclusively about play — it is in fact a game itself… What’s wonderful about this company is that they take everything seriously, without being quite too serious about it. Everything somehow seems spontaneous and effortlessly stitched together – an achievement of great stagecraft.”
Richard Peter, Dewezet, 24 March 2022
Selected in 2021 for the “40 Winks” program of Springback Magazine/AEROWAVES.
Indoor version
Outdoor version
CHOREOGRAPHY
Joshua Monten
DANCE
Claudio Costantino
Angela Demattè
Sandra Klimek
Max Makowski
Jack Wignall
Frederik Kaijser [alternate]
Rozemarijn Louwerse [alternate]
Katharina Ludwig [alternate]
Joshua Monten [alternate]
David Pallant [alternate]
Jasmin Sisti [alternate]
Hannah Thomas [alternate]
Larissa de Villa [alternate]
Jack Widdowson [alternate]
Riccardo Zandonà [alternate]
DRAMATURGY
Guy Cools
COSTUME DESIGN
Catherine Voeffray
LIGHTING DESIGN
Jonas Bühler
MUSIC CONSULTANT
Moritz Alfons
VIDEO
Yannick Mosimann
APPRENTICES
Rozemarijn Louwerse
Niki Stalder
PRODUCED BY
Tough Love
COPRODUCED BY
Dampfzentrale Bern (CH)
Krokusfestival Hasselt (B)
WE GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS
Pro Helvetia
SWISSLOS / Kultur Kanton Bern
Kultur Stadt Bern
Loterie Romande / Corodis
Burgergemeinde Bern
Migros Kulturprozent
GVB Kulturstiftung
Schweizerische Interpretenstiftung
Gesellschaft zu Ober-Gerwern
Fondation Nestlé pour l’Art
Sophie und Karl Binding Stiftung
Stanley Thomas Johnson Stiftung
Danse élargie 2024 (F)
PERFORMANCES
20 February 2020 — Dampfzentrale Bern (CH) —try-out
21-22 February 2020 (2x) — Dampfzentrale Bern (CH) — premiere
22 February 2020 — Dampfzentrale Bern (CH)
26 February 2020 — Krokusfestival Hasselt (B)
11-14 March 2020 (4x) — Dock 11 Berlin (D)
24-26 July 2020 (4x) — Heimland Festival, Diepenheim (NL) — CANCELLED: COVID-19
4-5 September 2020 (2x) — BETA Stage Festival, Gaskessel, Bern (CH)
27 May 2021 (2x) — Schulhaus Bodenacker, Münchenbuchsee (CH)
29 May 2021 (2x) — Passage Festival, Helsingør (DK)
30 May 2021 (2x) — Springfestival, Amager Kulturpunkt, Copenhagen (DK)
29 June 2021 — Festival Danza Estate, Bergamo (IT)
3-4 July 2021 (4x) — Poésie en arrosoir, Cernier (Val-de-Ruz) / ADN — Danse Neuchâtel (CH)
12-13 August 2021 (4x) — Theaterfestival Boulevard, ‘s-Hertogenbosch (NL)
21-22 August 2021 (2x) — Festival de Chassepierre (B)
21 October 2021 (2x) — Marin Centre, Marin-Epagnier (La Tène) / ADN — Danse Neuchâtel (CH)
17 September 2021 — CCL, Saint-Imier (CH)
12-13 August 2021 (4x) — Boulevard Festival, ‘s-Hertogenbosch (NL)
10 September 2021 — Festival Opera Prima, Rovigo (I)
12 September 2021 — Caffeine Festival, Osnago (I)
22 September 2021 — UniSport Bern (CH)
25-26 September 2021 (4x) —Fêtes Romanes, Wolubilis, Brussels (B)
30 September 2021 — Young Dance Festival, Zug (CH)
20 October 2021 — Manuelschule, Bern (CH)
21 October 2021 — Schulhaus Marzili, Bern (CH)
21 October 2021 (2x) — Marin Centre, Marin-Epagnier (La Tène) / ADN — Danse Neuchâtel (CH)
22 October 2021 — Schulhaus Sulgenbach, Bern (CH)
22 October 2021 — Mosaikschule Munzinger, Bern (CH)
24 October 2021 (2x) — PlayBern Festival, Grosse Halle, Bern (CH)
23 November 2021 (2x) — Tanzfestival Winterthur, Theater am Gleis, Winterthur (CH)
13-14 March 2022 (3x) — Theater Kerkrade (NL)
22 March 2022 (2x) — 13. Hamelner Tanztheatertage, Hameln (D)
13 May 2022 — Tanzfest, Thun (CH)
13 May 2022 — Tanzfest, St. Gallen (CH)
14 May 2022 — Tanzfest, Winterthur (CH)
14 May 2022 — Fête de la danse, Moutier (CH)
15 May 2022 — Fête de la danse, Rolle (CH)
15 May 2022 — Fête de la danse, Geneva (CH)
16 May 2022 — Schule Hedingen, Hedingen ZH (CH)
25-28 May 2022 (8x) — Tête-à-Tête Festival, Rastatt (D)
10 June 2022 (2x) — Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival, Sareyyet Ramallah (PS)
12 June 2022 — Ramallah Contemporary Dance Festival, De La Salle College, Jerusalem (PS)
25 June 2022 (3x) — Lothringair Festival, Aachen (D)
8-9 July 2022 (3x) — SPOT Festival, Vilnius (LT)
24 August 2022 — Market for Performing Arts, Sandefjord (NO)
9 March 2023 — Starke Stücke Festival, Bürgerhaus Obertshausen (D)
10 March 2023 (2x) — Starke Stücke Festival, Gemeinsame Musterschule, Friedberg (D)
11 March 2023 — Starke Stücke Festival, Sankt Peter, Frankfurt (D)
24-25 June 2023 (4x) — Festival Viva Cité, Sotteville-lès-Rouen (F)
16-17 July 2023 (3x) — Kulturzentrum Tempel, Karlsruhe (D)
1-2 August 2023 (5x) — Færder Biennalen, Tønsberg (NO)
25 August 2023 (3x) — Cradle of Creativity, National School of the Arts, Johannesburg (ZA)
26 August 2023 — Cradle of Creativity, Sibikwa Arts Centre, Benoni (ZA)
30-31 August 2023 (2x) — JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Festival, Durban (ZA)
17 October 2023 — Primarschule Port, Port (CH)
10 November 2023 — École primaire de Siviriez, Siviriez (CH)
13 November 2023 — Schule Schlieren, Schlieren (CH)
14 November 2023 — École primaire de Romont, Romont (CH)
14 November 2023 — Primarschule Düdingen, Düdingen (CH)
15 November 2023 — Primarschule Tafers, Tafers (CH)
16 November 2023 — École de Treyvaux, Treyvaux (CH)
21 November 2023 — Schule Lindenbüel, Volketswil (CH)
22 November 2023 — Ecole primaire de Nant, Sugiez (CH)
23-24 November 2023 (2x) — Oberstufenschule Wüeri, Nänikon (CH)
27 November 2023 — Primarschule Schmitten, Schmitten (CH)
14-18 May 2024 (9x) — Sydney Opera House, Sydney (AU)
24-25 May 2024 (2x) — Theatre Young, Shanghai (CN)
8-9 June 2024 (3x) — OōEli Space, Hangzhou (CN)
15-16 June 2024 (2x) — Danse élargie, Théâtre de la Ville, Paris (F)
29 June 2024 — Les Artoizes, Rouvroy (F)
30 June 2024 — Les Artoizes, Drocourt (F)
4 July 2024 — FMS Biel-Seeland, Biel (CH)
7 November 2024 — Cercle scolaire Sâles-Vaulruz, Sâles (CH)
7 November 2024 — Schulhaus Cordast, Cordast (CH)
17-18 November 2024 (2x) — Kasseler Tanzfestival für junges Publikum, Kassel (D)
19 November 2024 — Primarschule Alterswil, Alterswil (CH)
19 November 2024 — École de Neyruz, Neyruz (CH)
17 February 2025 — École primaire de Saint-Aubin, Saint-Aubin (CH)
4 March 2025 — Schule Bowil, Bowil (CH)
17 March 2025 — École primaire de Saint-Aubin, Saint-Aubin (CH)
2-3 November 2025 (3x) — SEGNI Next Generations Festival, Teatro Bibiena, Mantua (IT)
13 March 2026 (2x) — Le Chai du Terral, Saint-Jean-de-Védas (F)