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]
Jasmin Sisti [alternate]
Jack Widdowson [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
Verein Tough Love
COPRODUCED BY
Dampfzentrale Bern (CH)
Krokusfestival Hasselt (B)
Kunsten op Straat/Werkplaats Diepenheim (NL)
WE GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS
Pro Helvetia
SWISSLOS / Kultur Kanton Bern
Kultur Stadt Bern
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
PERFORMANCES
20 February 2020 (try-out) — Dampfzentrale Bern (CH)
21 February 2020 — Dampfzentrale Bern (CH) (premiere)
22 February 2020 — Dampfzentrale Bern (CH)
26 February 2020 — Krokusfestival Hasselt (B)
11-13 March 2020 (3x) — Dock 11 Berlin (D)
14 March 2020 — Dock 11 Berlin (D) — CANCELLED: COVID-19
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, Theater Altes Hallenbad, Friedberg (D)
11 March 2023 — Starke Stücke Festival, Sankt Peter, Frankfurt (D)
31 May 2023 (2x) — Bergen International Festival (NO)