In 1912, Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune by Nijinsky shocked audiences with its radical movement style and explicit themes. More than a century later, Dunja Jocić turns this iconic ballet inside out. In Afternoon of a Nymph, she shifts the focus from the faun to the … Read more
As part of the Hessisches Staatsballett’s 10th-anniversary celebration, Dunja Jocić’s Moonfall dives into the complexities of human endurance and societal dynamics. The piece explores themes of power, manipulation, chaos, order and faith, reflecting on how communities navigate turbulent times. TEAM Performed by Greta Dato, Meilyn Kennedy, Bridget Lee, … Read more
In A Shadow We Become by Dunja Jocić, you find yourself in a mysterious, dark world where a horde of creatures, half human, half animal, moves across the stage. With abstract movements and physical extremes, she creates a mystical atmosphere that makes us waver between the … Read more
In her dance performance ‘The Gate’, choreographer and director Dunja Jocic intertwines contemporary dance with social and philosophical themes of modern society. She explores the concept of time through the movement of the dancers and the monumental treatment of space, inspired by Auguste Rodin’s “Gates of … Read more
“I was inspired to create this piece by the musical composition titled ‘Natural History,’ composed by Michael Gordon. The beauty of this composition lies in its distinct narrative, which excited me tremendously as I worked on my own piece.” – Dunja Jocić Photography by Leszek Januszewski … Read more
In a not-so-distant future, a groundbreaking feat is achieved as the brain of a dying man finds its new home in a youthful body. Achieving a seemingly miraculous transfer of consciousness. Yet, as this extraordinary amalgamation unfolds, intriguing complexities arise when traces of the previous inhabitant’s … Read more
showlist In We, Us and Other Games, Jocić reflects on the ongoing digitalization of the human experience. A father searches for his daughter in a digital world called “The Living Project”, gradually losing his grip on reality. The performance, presented by an ensemble of eight dancers … Read more
A surreal dance theater piece about the desire to live forever.With, amongst others, Hugo Koolschijn, Kalin Morrow and the voice of Tom Jansen. In ‘The Grass Here Is Greener’, the dancers find themselves in an apparently carefree and peaceful world, set in Édouard Manet’s painting ‘Le … Read more
Love in times of virtual reality In this version of the myth, Orpheus and Eurydice are not separated by death, but by a fate that affects many contemporary relationships: the lovers have lost each other. They no longer communicate directly with each other, only via text … Read more
Two years ago, the renowned New York composer Michael Gordon (Bang on a Can) wrote a gripping piece called ‘8’ for the Amsterdam Cello Octet, an adventurous collective of cellists who embrace new music and interdisciplinary performances. Dunja Jocic was immediately inspired by the music. The … Read more
The Panther is a thrilling ‘danse-noire’ about the vulnerable individual in a technology-dominated society. The tale, told by Ramsey Nasr, is about a man who gets entangled in a mysterious ultra-modern apartment, that feels like a new body. While the house is developing a will of … Read more
In The Protagonist we follow a narcissistic young woman in an attempt to get control back over her life, she rigorously decides to go offline. Her escape into the analogue world sets off a stream of surreal daydreams in which the woman fights to protect her … Read more
Monday, evening, alone. Sometimes you slide into your good flow and sometimes your balance is disturbed. Then there are minuscule openings in your defence, which you thought it was your natural shield that is automatically used in case of threat, such as the awnings that automatically … Read more
Terra Incognita is a physical and hallucinatory trip, based on the short story of the same name by Vladimir Nabokov. Hallucinations blend with the harsh surroundings and the quest pushes the travelers to their limits. Illness and death are just around the corner and friendships burst … Read more
The light of passing hours and bygone days moves over small walls, past mirrors, plastic flowers and teacups of the house where a man still lives together with his mother and their cat. Though time passes outside, inside it seems the vacuum of their synchronized schizophrenic … Read more
Hundred Nights, hundred years libretto is inspired by Noah Play Sotoba Komachi, one of six stories of the “Rōjo-mono (Old Women)” category, that all focus on “aging”. The story explains profound philosophy of Buddhism, through the life story of Sotoba Komachi who is said to have … Read more
The Sonnets was commissioned by Bitef Dance Company in Belgrade (Serbia). Based on the Shakespeare’s sonnet of the same name Jocic has created Sonnet 66, a piece for 6 dancers exploring the human conditions of despair, desire, anger but above all love. Direction and choreography Dunja … Read more
