“The premiere of Dunja Jocic’s dance piece ‘The Gate’ at the Theater Bielefeld was an absolutely captivating evening of dance, met with immense enthusiasm from the audience, who responded with a standing ovation. The ensemble delivered a performance of exceptional skill and artistry, showcasing their talent at a remarkably high level.
‘The Gate,’ Dunja Jocic’s dance piece performed last Saturday evening at the Theater Bielefeld, takes its name from the colossal structure dominating the revolving stage, reminiscent of a medieval city gate (designed by Stefanie Grau). If this imposing set piece was intended to signify an entrance into another dimension, it might elucidate why the mesmerizing performance unfolding over the intense 60 minutes seemed to be from another world in the eyes of the astonished audience.
The images, figures, and constellations presented were incredibly impressive, the costumes exhibited great imagination, and the ensemble’s extensive dance vocabulary, performed as if unleashed, was remarkably diverse.
At least three acts, each with a completely different character, can be identified, each interrupted by a slow-motion, majestic pirouette of the gate on the revolving stage, as if realigning itself and shifting focus onto something else.
The possible associations are so diverse that the suggestions for interpretation from the program booklet can be expanded at will. The enthusiastic audience immediately realizes that something of general human relevance is being conveyed here, even if it cannot be translated one-to-one into words but is transferred through movement.”
Excerpt from newspaper Neue Westfälische,
by Marcus Ostermann
25.03.24
