What do we consider to be normal? And who decides? In Normality No More – a fusion of musical theatre, modern dance and classical music – three highly rated companies create a neurodiverse experience on stage. Boundaries between normal and strange, neurotypical and neurodiverse, spectator and participant will disappear. Where are you on the spectrum?
A bestseller in classical music, Schubert’s Winterreise, is deconstructed to the bone and rebuilt all over again. In the original Winterreise, the protagonist embarks on a lonely winter journey after his love has left him. Seeking inner peace, but tormented and haunted by memories, he is left on the ice in despair. In Normality No More modern dance, musical theatre and classical music fuse into a new version: an ode to the divergent brain and a call for understanding and empathy for people who experience the world differently than the great masses.
In Normality No More all dancers, musicians and actors play a character inspired by both personal experiences and scientific research on neurodiversity. They all show their strength and vulnerability, embracing their own diversity while longing for social integration. The audience experiences what it is like to step into the shoes of people perceived as ‘strange’ and discovers the unique, multifaceted and wonderful qualities of the neurodiverse human being.
Ragazze Quartet made a version for baritone and string quartet of Winterreise before. The song cycle was originally written for baritone and piano to a poetry collection by Willhelm Müller. In Normality No More, Ragazze Quartet assembles a multi-coloured ensemble with an unusual combination of instruments and styles. With countertenor, jazz vocals, string quartet, electronics, keys, percussion and bagpipes, Schubert’s music transforms into a completely new, neurodiverse alternative ranging from pulsating electro-pop to hypnotic string glissandi and Surinamese dance rhythms.
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. Times & tickets will soon be available via this website and the websites of the theaters.