Outdoor choreography for three street fighters
Inspired by the joyful arts of stage combat, slapstick and Foley sound effects, “Little Joy” is an all-terrain vehicle of mass destruction for three charmingly violent dancers. Punches, slaps and kicks are built into intricate sequences of consensual violence. Following in the classic tradition of slapstick, moments of (imaginary) pain are expressed through exquisitely expressive movement. This is serious play, joyfully tragic, and thrilling to watch.
Simultaneously, the three performers create the sound effects for their own movements. A slap on the cheek is enhanced with the clang of a metal pan; the sight of hair being ripped out is accompanied by the sound of Velcro — a paradoxical juxtaposition that enhances the effectiveness of each impact while playfully exposing its artifice.
CHOREOGRAPHY
Joshua Monten
DANCE
Francesca Imoda
Amadeus Pawlica
Jack Wignall
Laura García Aguilera [alternate]
Sandra Klimek [alternate]
Konstantinos Kranidiotis [alternate]
Joshua Monten [alternate]
Jack Widdowson [alternate]
COSTUME AND SET DESIGN
Verena Leo
PRODUCED BY
Tough Love
WE GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGE FINANCIAL AND MATERIAL SUPPORT FROM THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS
SWISSLOS / Kultur Kanton Bern
Kultur Stadt Bern
Loterie Romande / Corodis
Burgergemeinde Bern
Societé Suisse des Auteurs – Fédération des Arts de Rue Suisse
Dampfzentrale Bern
PERFORMANCE HISTORY
10 December 2016 (excerpt) — Wichtrach (CH)
11 December 2016 (excerpt) — Wichtrach (CH)
11 December 2016 (excerpt) — Tanzfaktor, Cologne (D)
17 December 2016 (excerpt) — Gerzensee (CH)
17 June 2017 (excerpt) — PLATEFORME: Nouvelle génération d’interprètes, Théâtre Sévelin 36, Lausanne (CH)
30 June 2017 (excerpt) — ZHdK Dance Program, Gessnerallee Theater A, Zürich (CH)
1 July 2017 (excerpt) —ZHdK Dance Program, Gessnerallee Theater A, Zürich (CH)
10 August 2017 (3x)— Buskers Bern Festival (CH) (premiere)
11 August 2017 (3x) — Buskers Bern Festival (CH)
12 August 2017 (3x) — Buskers Bern Festival (CH)
9 November 2017 (excerpt) — Zürich (CH)
5 May 2018 — Das Tanzfest, Aarau (CH)
5 May 2018 — Das Tanzfest, Winterthur (CH)
6 May 2018 — Fête de la danse, Yverdon-les-Bains (CH)
6 May 2018 — Fête de la danse, Geneva (CH)
8 June 2018 (3x) — Buskers Chur Festival, Chur (CH)
9 June 2018 (3x) — Buskers Chur Festival, Chur (CH)
12 June 2018 (3x) — Danza Nueva Festival, Pucallpa (PE)
15 June 2018 (2x) — Danza Nueva Festival, Lima (PE)
23 June 2018 — Fragmentos de Junio Festival, UARTES, Guayaquil (EC)
25 June 2018 — Fragmentos de Junio Festival, ESPOL, Guayaquil (EC)
12 July 2018 (3x) — Schaubudensommer, Dresden (D)
13 July 2018 (4x) — Schaubudensommer, Dresden (D)
14 July 2018 (4x) — Schaubudensommer, Dresden (D)
15 July 2018 (4x) — Schaubudensommer, Dresden (D)
7 August 2018 (3x) — La Plage des Six Pompes Festival, La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH)
8 August 2018 (3x) — La Plage des Six Pompes Festival, La Chaux-de-Fonds (CH)
22 September 2018 (2x) — Festival Mac la Mercè, Parque de la Ciutadella, Barcelona (ES)
23 September 2018 (2x) — Festival Mac la Mercè, Parque de la Ciutadella, Barcelona (ES)
24 September 2018 (2x) — Festival Mac la Mercè, Parque de la Ciutadella, Barcelona (ES)
21 November 2018 — International Festival of Modern Choreography, Vitebsk (BY)
21 January 2019 — Kulturbörse Freiburg (D)
25 April 2019 — Market for Performing Arts, Sandefjord (NO)
3 May 2019 (2x) — First Friday, Biel, Switzerland (CH)
22 June 2019 (3x) — Blickfelder Festival, Museum für Gestaltung, Zurich (CH)
23 June 2019 (2x) — Blickfelder Festival, Museum für Gestaltung, Zurich (CH)
17 August 2019 (3x) — Festival de Chassepierre (B)
18 August 2019 (3x) — Festival de Chassepierre (B)
4 October 2019 — Quinzena de dança de Almada, Almada Fórum, Almada (PT)
6 October 2019 — High Fest, Yerevan (AM)
7 October 2019 — High Fest, Yerevan (AM)
25 February 2020 (2x) — Krokusfestival Hasselt (B)
16-25 March 2020 (13x) — Den kulturelle skollesekken, Tønsberg region (NO) — CANCELLED: COVID-19
17 May 2020 (2x) — Straßentheatertage, Naumburg (D) — CANCELLED: COVID-19
5 July 2020 (3x) — BuitenGewoon Festival, Doetinchem (NL) — CANCELLED: COVID-19
6-8 August 2020 (6x) — Boulevard Festival, ‘s-Hertogenbosch (NL) — CANCELLED: COVID-19
7 August 2020 (3x) — Gauklerabende, Thun (CH)
4 March 2021 — Sekundarschule Nidau, Nidau (CH)
29 May 2022 (2x) — Straßentheatertage, Naumburg (D)
3 July 2022 (3x) — BuitenGewoon Festival, Doetinchem (NL)
21 August 2022 — Dansen in ‘t Park, Ghent (B)
10 September 2022 (3x) — Wonderland Festival, Aberdeen (GB)
27-28 July 2023 (2x) — Festival Renc’Arts, Dinan (F)
10 August 2023 (2x) — Laténium, Neuchâtel (CH)
27 September 2025 — Grândola (PT)