Wir sagen uns Dunkles

About the work

Marco Goecke’s creation for NDT 2 begins with encounters in the studio between the choreographer and the dancers. Their meetings appear unimportant, yet simultaneously they are more important than anything else; young, naughty and evil, playful and punky. “Today, my feelings belong to the dancers, more than ever before”, says Goecke. A blink of the eye, a glance, a seemingly fleeting gesture. Just a moment or a story? What remains is a tear on an eyelash that is fanned away.How do we get closer? A butterfly that remains a second before it flies away. The sounds of Schubert and Schnittke meet those of Placebo, The Swan Song and Song To Say Goodbye. Then there are the rattling pants, its sound interfering with the music. Goecke: “The dancers understand me immediately. There is no limit, they want to be challenged.” They move fast, virtuoso, gesticulate in peculiar ways, unconscious yet self-assured, and – whether solo, in a pas de deux or larger group – they communicate in Goecke’s language, as if they had never learned another. Darkness Spoken, without words.

Credits

Choreography: Marco Goecke
Music: Franz Schubert: Trio, Nocturne in e flat, opus 148, D. 897.

Placebo: Song to Say Goodbye; Slave to the Wage; writers: Steven James Hewitt; Brian Molko; Stefan Olsdal; Scott Kannberg; Stephen Malkmus, Loud like Love; writers: Brian Molko; Stefan Olsdal; Steven Joseph Forrest; William Patrick Lloyd, Publishers: BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd.

Alfred Schnittke: Piano quintet, part 2: ‘in tempo di Valse’. © Edition Peters, Leipzig / Albersen Verhuur B.V., ‘s-Gravenhage.
Lighting design: Udo Haberland
Set design: Marco Goecke
Costume design: Marco Goecke
NDT rehearsal directors: Ander Zabala

Staged by: Ralitza Malehounova
Music advisor: Jan Pieter KochUdo Haberland
Duration: 29 minutes
Premiere date: March 27, 2025
Premiere location: Amare, The Hague

Original cast

Surimu Fukushi, Guido Dutilh, Adam Russell-Jones, Miguel Duarte, Toon Lobach, Kyle Clarke, Jesse Callaert, Fay van Baar, Nicole Ishimaru, Tess Voelker, Thalia Crymble

A dancer smiles while moving her arms in sharp, angular shapes.

Viola Busi about 'Wir sagen uns Dunkles'

“Wir sagen uns Dunkles, meaning “we tell our darkness/dark thoughts”, is a piece that reaches deeply into our beings, us being the dancers and the viewers.
Marco transforms the stage into a space to explore and indulge in parts of us that are often too dark or weird to share with others, or that, when you decide to share them, bring us a sense of urgency and thrill, almost danger, yet always elegant and beautiful. I feel like one of the most special aspects of Marco’s language is the ability to elevate any element, no matter how provocative, graphic or ugly to beauty. I perceive this movement almost as visceral, with the repetition and facial expressions, a very human and gestural way of moving, but then specifically stylised so that it becomes the most beautiful dance. Beauty, simplicity and intricacy with a twist of madness, vibrancy and passion. Even with the costumes, so simple in the front and full of sparkles in the back. Sparkles that create sound, movement and visual effects while being attached to our dancing bodies.

I find this piece very special because of the space we all have on stage to go on our intimate individual journeys, to touch once again our own darkness and find vulnerability in it, and yet to feel connected with the group in this sharp, dynamic and vibrant movement language.
The music is also a beautiful contrast that keeps us on our toes, even from the wings when we wait for our turn to run on stage.

I am so grateful to be dancing this piece as part of my last production with NDT 2, Marco Goecke’s style has been a very special part of my experience in this company and I love the exhilaration it brings me whenever I’m on stage. The process of learning this piece has also been a journey of discovery and excitement, getting in touch with parts of us that we often keep hidden and creating a space to share them in the studio and on stage under the loving guidance of Ralitza.

I hope the audience can perceive all the vulnerability we pour on stage with this piece and is moved by it as much I am by dancing it and watching my colleagues.”

César Sautès-Vescovali about 'Wir sagen uns Dunkles'

“Wir sagen uns Dunkles is my first experience dancing Marco’s work. It is a piece that welcomes dancers and audience to a gloomy and intimate atmosphere where a true vulnerability lies under sharp movements. Marco’s way of crafting the space is really special and unique. Within the darkness all kinds of encounters occur : dancers enter and leave the space with speed that resonates through the beaded pants, chasing the light as much as it chases them, being both hidden and visible, whispering to each other and to the viewers… it is in itself a sharing of one’s privacy. You are immersed into a realm of rich sensations and emotions, enhanced by Marco’s diverse musical choices.

It has been a joy working with Ralitza on this piece. She was able to take all of us on a journey of self discovery and deep research. A lot of the movements or stories come from very dark places, but many others feeds off of humorous references. I find in Marco’s imaginary a complex yet evident duality between sorrow and joy, ugliness and beauty, rawness and refinement ; and it invites us to dig into our deepest selves, face our roots and find how to say some of the things we usually keep private. Something that surprises me every time is the feeling of urgency coming from the speed at which each movement flows into the next while staying very sharp. It forces me to play with myself, others and the music all at once, and it’s what makes me so alive while performing !

Overall, Wir sagen uns Dunkles creates a sense of completeness within me, as it reflects many different layers of what it is like to feel as a being. It transports me and blurs time in an odd way that I love. I’ve been faced with really strong emotions while dancing and watching this piece, and I am excited to share all of it with our audiences!

I hope we meet somewhere, so I can tell you dark thoughts.”