Thron

A highly minimalist choreography. The German V A Wölfl designed an ‘emblem’, a geometric floor pattern made of wooden boards in the shape of a labyrinth. The dance pattern is defined by this demarcation, even though the ‘walls’ are only a few centimetres high. Dressed in men’s clothes, the five female dancers repeat the same simple and austere movements for an hour and a half, with only minimal variations.

It takes iron discipline, steel concentration and a stamina of reinforced concrete. Thron is a ninety-minute mathematical problem with an unpredictable outcome and endless possibilities. (Haagsche Courant)

De Châtel lets the women, who are continually counting, become completely unhinged in time and the audience too, loses all sense of time. (Trouw)

premiere 26 February 1984, Shaffy Theater, Amsterdam
choreography Krisztina de Châtel
dance Cathy Dekker, Marijke Huybregts, Yvonne van Laake, Josje Neuman, Lilian Vos
music Patricio Wang
stagedesign V A Wölfl
light Johan Vonk
costumes V A Wölfl
photography Bob van Dantzig