Woke up Blind

About the work

When seeing Woke up Blind (2016), it’s almost impossible not to be swept away by Jeff Buckley’s soulful voice and the intricate, emotionally charged movement of associate choreographer Marco Goecke. With brilliant composition, our dancers are drawn into an acoustic world, surrendering themselves to the unknown like young lovers. Urgent vibrations ripple through their bodies, capturing a raw tension and vulnerability, while Buckley’s guitar licks act as an accelerating heartbeat. Goecke’s Woke up Blind is a timeless work that unveils the essence of our emotions.

Credits

Choreography: Marco Goecke
Dramaturge: Nadja Kadel
Music: 'You and I written' by Jeff Buckley, used by permission of Mary Guibert, Successor-in-Interest to the Estate of Jeff Buckley
'The Way Young Lovers Do', performed by Jeff Buckley, written by Van Morrison, Caledonia Soul Music (BMI) and WC Music Corp (ASCAP)
Lighting design: Udo Haberland
Set design: Marco Goecke
Costume design: Marco Goecke

NDT rehearsal directors: Francesca Caroti
Staged by: Ralitza Malehounova, Nicole Kohlmann
Duration: 16 Minutes
Premiere date: Feb. 16, 2016
Premiere location: Zuiderstrandtheater, The Hague

Original cast 2016

Anne Jung, Aram Hasler, Thiago Bordin, Rupert Tookey, Olivier Coeffard, Prince Credell, Jorge Nozal

Rehearsal | Woke up Blind - Marco Goecke

Woke up Blind 2025 ©Rahi Rezvani online_6

Luca Tessarini on 'Woke up Blind'

“Woke up Blind was the first piece I stumbled into when I joined NDT 1 – fresh out of the classical ballet world, ten years younger and at least ten fears heavier. Now I return to it from another angle, and it’s like dancing with an old friend who insists on keeping secrets, revealing only what I’m ready to hear.

This work is a storm and a whisper at once. Its challenges are merciless, its essence intoxicating. you can’t simply perform it – you have to surrender, wrestle, reinvent yourself every single time the lights start fading in. And strangely, that reinvention is the gift: freedom disguised as difficulty, a reminder that our artform lives in change. It has to!

What I cherish most is how individuality is not only allowed in Marco’s works, but it’s demanded. He continues to create a space where we can be utterly ourselves while still breathing together as one. We follow a direction, not a dictation. I look around and fall in love with my colleagues over and over again – they are otherworldly, and my admiration for them is permanent, etched into me. I hope this night carries you, for this moment in time, away from the here and now.

and so for ourselves we have been
tonight for you
we dance
reckless and tender
the way young lovers do: goodnight.”

Woke up Blind 2025 ©Rahi Rezvani online_1H

Paloma Lassere on 'Woke up Blind'

“When I dance Woke up Blind, it feels like being moved from the inside — where tenderness meets chaos and the music takes over. Jeff Buckley’s voice fills that space between strength and fragility, guiding me through love, surrender, and intensity. Expressing all of this through movement is both emotional and physical — the speed and precision make it a real challenge for the body, demanding presence, control, and total release at once.

I first danced this piece four years ago with another company. Returning to it now feels like rediscovering a part of myself. The choreography is the same, but I am not. I move through it differently, more present, more raw, more true. It touches something deep inside me, where vulnerability becomes strength.

I’m profoundly grateful to Marco Goecke and his team for their trust, kindness, and love. Their presence makes this journey even more alive.”