Notturnino

Notturnino takes inspiration from the film Tosca’s Kiss, a documentary directed by Daniel Schmid in 1984 set in a retirement home for great opera singers in Italy. In the film the residents still remember their favourite roles, singing them powerfully in their slippers and wooly cardigans, raising questions about great artistry in simple and humble contexts.

“My fascination with dance has a lot to do with its sensual aspects, with how dance/motion feels and what one can feel when looking at it. In the creation of Notturnino I took inspiration from the film _Tosca’s Kiss,opera music and Candoco Dance Company’s dancers. The soundtrack from the film, which features the voices of ageing singers re-enacting scenes from operas and talking about their lives, but also the sounds of everyday life at their rest home, conjures images of situations and characters, triggering association and memories. I wanted the dance to add another layer of textures and sensations rather than being a literal illustration of the sound. I hope that the piece will elicit an individual response from each audience member and draw on their own memories, sensibilities and concerns. I always work with improvisation both in the process of creating a piece and on stage, as I believe that the body is capable of creating much more complex movement if you allow it to include intuition rather than relying on forms processed by our conscious mind.” Thomas Hauert