Light

Light is the follow-up of Lines (1979). Visual artist Jan van Munster designed new lighting objects. Another novelty is the interplay of music and dance that was conceived by Krisztina de Châtel and composers Warner van Es and Thom Willems. In Light the dancers indicate the spatial directions by carrying light objects and moving with them. When the dancers do not have lighting objects strapped to their body, they express the horizontal and diagonal lines themselves. In this part of the choreography rhythmical shifts take place based on the numbers seven and eight. These numbers formed the starting point for both for dance and music in this production.

Jan van Munster about Light: ‘It is perhaps Krisztina’s purest choreography, and also the most static. Light was about ‘walking while standing still’: the dancers walked in slow motion with a lighting tube strapped to their back. We spent quite a while figuring out which harness, which tube length and which movements were most effective in making dancer and light become one.’

premiere 25 November 1980, Shaffy Theater, Amsterdam
choreography Krisztina de Châtel
dance Krisztina de Châtel, Marijke Huybregts, Toska ten Kate, Josje Neuman, Sjoukje Osinga
music Warner van Es, Thom Willems
stagedesign/lightobjects Jan van Munster
light William Heyltjes
costumes Marianne Strategier
photography Bob van Dantzig