We all have our own personalities. How much of it do we show? Do we always dare to be ourselves? What can we learn from people who experience and interpret the world differently than we do? In Normality No More – a unique fusion of music theatre, modern dance, classical music and science – three top companies pay tribute to the neurodivergent brain.
The Ragazze Quartet puts together an unusual ensemble of strings, a percussionist and vocalists that switches between styles without mercy. With Ntjam Rosie (vocals) and Genevieve Murphy (vocals, synthesiser, electronics) live on stage, among others, they transform Schubert’s Winterreise into a completely new alternative from soulful jazz and pulsating electropop to rousing dance rhythms.
Those contrasts are also reflected in the choreography of young creator Davide Bellotta. From 2011 until 2019 he was one of the defining dancers of Conny Janssen Danst. With Normality No More he will make – under the coaching guidance of Conny Janssen – his debut for the main stage.
The Winterreise is not only revamped musically, but also textually: with the original poems of Müller as a starting point, Dagmar Slagmolen (Via Berlin) invites Lucky Fonz III as co-lyricist. In this way, all sixteen performers weave a completely story all its own which here and there totally derails: Normality No More!
The performance Normality No More is the artistic outcome of a collaboration between Dagmar Slagmolen (Via Berlin), choreographer Davide Bellotta (Conny Janssen Danst) and Ragazze Quartet under the final direction of Ria Marks and with advice from Conny Janssen.
The choreography in Normality No More is in the hands of Davide Bellotta, who worked as a dancer in the company for many years. Besides being a choreographer, this multi-talented artist is also musician, composer, performer and filmmaker. In this co-production, under the coaching guidance of Conny Janssen, Davide makes his debut for the main auditorium.
> Normality No More can be seen from December 14, 2024 to April 6, 2025.
The musical collaboration in Normality No More is nothing short of a triumph. Trouw
It's impressive how singers, string players, a percussionist, a keyboard player and seven dancers form a homogeneous whole on stage, with disciplines being smoothly exchanged every now and then. Trouw
A very successful gesamtkunstwerk, in which dance, music and text each occupy an equal place and flow into each other with great feeling – and occasionally the necessary humor – to add color to the idea of neurodiversity. Het Parool
Normality No More is one of those rare theatrical experiences that reverberates in the memory and nervous system for a long time. Theaterkrant.nl
Davide Bellotta makes his debut on the big stage as a choreographer here. And what a debut! His movement language is captivating, starting with the magnificent group scene, in which dancers and musicians move across the stage like an inextricable tangle of people. Theaterkrant.nl
