Choreographer and theatre director Nicole Beutler makes genre-busting performances, combining dance, music, theatre and the visual arts to create unique works of art. now, after five years of intensive productivity, it’s time for a retrospective. our mini festival NBcollection brings together those works that respond to one another with respect to form and content. it might be anything from a dance performance to visual art or a pop concert, but there’s an identifi able artistic signature to be found throughout Beutler’s oeuvre, which she has developed over the years with her close circle of regular collaborators. Recurrent themes such as ‘the individual voice vs. the collective body’ and an underlying sense of musicality and subtle humor form the motive force of the work.
Nicole Beutler’s numbered series begins with 1: SONGS, a wild pop concert in which a woman brings to life the words of heroines from classic world literature.
In 2: DIALOGUE WITH LUCINDA she reworks two minimalist dance pieces by Lucinda Childs, focusing on the collective body in symmetrical patterns. Beutler’s obsession with symmetry gains further expression in 3: THE GARDEN, which places centre stage collective organisms, evolution and the romantic yearning for nature. Drawing her inspiration from the origins of humankind, in 4: STILL LIFE she transposed the opposition of man and woman into an interplay of geometric forms: circle, square, and triangle. In her most recent work.
As well as her numbered works Nicole will be presenting two collaborative projects with young people at Frascati. PIECE is a music-driven dance in which twelve young people form a single, united community to practice rebellion, to speak with one voice. ONE ON ONE is all about partner dancing, with sixteen young dancers taking 1960s standard and partner dance styles as the basis for a constantly moving and shifting kaleidoscopic group composition.
Next to the performances, there is also a side program with a visual and musical focus, much like the work of Nicole herself. During the festival kick-off in Theater Kikker lighting designer Minna Tiikkainen presents together with video artists Susanna Brenner and Helle Lyshøj the installation AFTER IMAGE, in which light and video are the protagonists, instead of the body. We present two short films: DIAMOND DANCERS by Nicole Beutler/Quirine Racké/Helena Muskens and IN MY BOSOM by Susanna Brenner. A photo exhibition by Anja Beutler shows the thematic similarities and artistic signature in the work of Nicole. You can also get to know the staff and performers of NBprojects; they provide live music, nice food and there is space for conversation.