Jiří Kylián created 27’52” for NDT 2 in 2002, a work that takes the audience along for a game of seeking and being sought, of holding and being held, pushing and pulling. A game in which the dancer must ultimately exit the stage solo. The title refers to both the length of the work, 27 minutes and 52 seconds, as well as the date of birth of former NDT 2’s artistic leader Gerald Tibbs. 27’52” was developed through a unique collaboration with composer Dirk Haubrich. About 27’52”, Kylián says: “It is a work concerned with at least four elements: time, speed, love, and constant changes. […] Every split of a second of our life is responsible for our aging, and every moment of our life represents some kind of change. To me this is a very reassuring and liberating thought. We don’t have to remain the same from our birth to our death. We have the ability to change.”
Since 2002 Maxine Doyle has been director and choreographer for Punchdrunk, with whom she co-directed the multi-awardwinning Sleep No More, The Drowned Man, The Firebird Ball, Faust, and more. Doyle has created for various dance companies as well as for television and film. Her work combines an intense physicality with a focus on crafting characters and non-linear narratives. This premiere with NDT 2 marks Doyle’s debut with the company and will centre around a collaboration with composer Cassie Kinoshi who will create an original score for the work.
NDT is excited to bring back Minus 16 by Ohad Naharin on the occasion of its 25th anniversary since its creation in 1999 for NDT 2. The work incorporates music that ranges from Dean Martin to mambo, and from techno to traditional Israeli music and eliminates the barrier between its dancers and the audience in unpredictable ways. Ohad Naharin is the current house choreographer and former Artistic Director of the renowned Batsheva Dance Company. Naharin is also the creator of Gaga – a distinct movement language that enables dancers to move past their usual limits, both within their work and beyond.
