America
It’s a performance that the US has never seen before: a talented showman, obsessed with fame, always on the lookout for twists, exploiting his audience’s fears and dreams to keep us going, and never ceases to amaze us. Cultivating all forms of violence and seduction at the same time, his staging is based on paradox.
In the scenario first: an egocentric and climate skeptic billionaire plays the beautiful anti-system, reassures by urging violence, and enjoins a conquering country to isolate itself behind a wall.
In the text then: the rusticity of the messages echoes the complexity of the world, the musicality of the language coats the coarseness of the words, the speech celebrates love and brutality, sings of pride by immersing us in a dark night.
It would be entertaining if the man weren’t, incidentally, the President of the United States of America.
AMERICA
creation for the Leipzig Ballett, Germany – 27 dancers
Date March 2020
Length 30 minutes
Choreography & scenography Martin Harriague
Music The Knife, Barry White, Donald Trump’s voice
Lights Martin Harriague
Costumes Mieke Kockelkorn
Costume makers Leipzig Ballett
Choreographer assistant Nadav Gal
Coproduction Leipzig Ballett