We are inundated with images of terror; we see them on screens, newspaper pages, newsfeeds and broadcasts. The influx of this information treads a bizarre path between banality and shock, between normalization and horror, and it is this idea which is explored by Nacho Duato in his newest choreography Herrumbre. He draws upon not only infamous imagery of terror, such as imprisonment and torture, but also ideas of dignity, grief and empathy. The performance is hypnotizing; the stage is illuminated by a waxing and waning pale light, which is split and scattered by the grid-like metal screen designed by architect Jaffar Chalabi. This stage piece is not only incorporated into the dance, but becomes almost a character in itself, a manifestation of division and trauma. The accompanying music is torn between pain and beauty, as the sounds are stretched and broken until they become yet another echo of the loss painted within the choreography. This dynamic, fluid and controversial reinterpretation of ballet presents an achingly stark reminder of international human rights atrocities, yet in a balance which never overwhelms the fragility of emotions shown between the dancers. A wholly stunning performance. (Text: Antonia Harris / Photo: (top, left) Fernando Marcos, (bottom) Thomas Bartilla)
Staatsoper im Schiller Theater, Bismarckstr.110, 10625 Berlin-Charlottenburg; map
Thu, 18.2.2016, 19.30h
Sun, 21.2.2016, 19.30h
Fri, 26.2.2016, 19.30h
Sun, 28.2.2016, 19.30h
Tickets: 15-56€
