The ensemble is in demand and belongs to the best in the world.\u201c \u201cRight from the start, the fantastic, highly atmospheric music by composer Hans Peter Kuhn demands full attention \u2014 and then come the two performers, Lucinda Childs and Miki Orihara.<\/em>\u201c \u201cThis is pure, unadulterated movement, without music \u2014 it\u2019s the beauty of minimalism, mathematics, and geometry. The evening is a journey into one of the most important phases of recent modern and postmodern dance history, and with the world premiere, it also becomes an experiment of the present. A major success for Berlin\u2019s Dance On Ensemble!\u201c \u201cWhy can watching Lucinda Childs\u2019 dances bring such joy to audiences? They convey something utopian and ecstatic; they banish brooding thoughts and create a space where only the here and now matters. When the dancers intertwine the lines of their movements through turns and shifts, forming increasingly complex patterns, it evokes a self-regulating form of social interaction\u2014one that functions without hierarchy or leadership, where everything emerges through mutual exchange.\u201c \u201cAgain and again, young choreographers also create pieces for Dance On, such as the fantastic Mellowing<\/em>, which Christos Papadopoulos premiered with them in 2022.\u201c \u201cOf the seven works that could be seen during our stay in Freiburg, only one was utterly convincing: ‘Mellowing’ by Christos Papadopoulos with the Berlin ‘Dance On Ensemble’ for older dancers.\u201c \u201cA single choreography focused on the quality of dance and music: ‘Mellowing’ by the Dance On ensemble, consisting of dancers over 40 years old, gave a breathtaking demonstration of the complexity of contemporary dance in a minimalist choreography by Christos Papadopoulos.\u201c \u201cChristos Papadopolous and the Dance On Ensemble \u2013 the Berlin-based company for dancers over 40 \u2013 made a lasting impression on the audience. To a minimalist-rhythmic soundtrack, the dancers begin in ‘Mellowing’ with small triple steps to the eighth beats of the music \u2013 a movement framework that runs through the entire performance as a bassa continuo. […] The result of this finely choreographed performance is incredibly effective: a compelling pull is created that is almost impossible to resist.\u201c \u201cDuring the performance of ‘Mellowing’ […], the many years of dance experience that come together on stage with the dancers of the Dance On ensemble create a pleasant sense of serenity. […] But the slow, constant shifts of the bodies into ever new constellations quickly develop a pull. Perfectly coordinated and yet never completely synchronized, it is astonishing how much space remains for individuality in these simple movements.\u201c \u201c\u2018MELLOWING\u2019 is a school of vision. Whoever gets involved in the choreography will discover a wealth of details. And with each of the performers, individual nuances and subtleties can be discerned. It is a joy to watch these experienced and expressive dancers. In \u2018MELLOWING\u2019 they manage to keep the tension, to increase the intensity and to find freedom in the strict form. For all its simplicity, \u2018MELLOWING\u2019 is a complex and fascinating evening of dance. And the Dance On Ensemble has once again proven that it is an asset to the dance scene.\u201c \u201cIt is a great achievement to work through this choreography full of minimal variations. A task that the Dance On dancers seem to master effortlessly and even acknowledge with a malicious smile on their lips as if they wanted to tell us: Look here, if you thought we were making big leaps to prove to you what else we can do, you were wrong. At least that would fit the charming contradiction of this company. On the one hand, to put the topic of dance and age qua their own embodiment in the center and, on the other hand, not to want to let every choreography be measured by the question of age. But beyond this interpretation, which is perhaps much too round the corner, one could surrender with relish to the maelstrom of suggestion that \u2018MELLOWING\u2019 increasingly develops.\u201c \u201cIt is the first of a series of atmospheres that follow one another, with the dancers evolving into ever more individuality. We hear a vintage song about wings and flying (‘Up, Up and Away by the Ray Conniff Singers) on which Ziv Frenkel indulges in memories of his childhood in musical mode. Elsewhere an upbeat pop song after which the soundscape continues to do its work with subtle references to Indie or Latin rhythms. Invariably, the performers hold our attention. […] It is wonderful to follow their individuality, their willfulness too, as when Omagbitse Omagbemi joins a group circle on her own time, no sooner. She shows her character. Through all their dance technical baggage, the group of performers present themselves first and foremost as people, and I believe them.\u201c \u201c\u2018Kiss the one we are is most beautiful to me in those moments when dance is allowed to speak for itself. In that sense, the final scene is a gem. To the beautiful music of Christophe Rault, the dancers together create a kind of human vortex reminiscent of photographs of galaxies or satellite images of storms and tornadoes. Endlessly they spin around as they move alternately from the outside to the core of the vortex. Meanwhile, they tenderly touch each other’s faces, pulling each other close and pushing away from each other in a kind of echo of the opening scene. A clear and poetic image that vibrates long after.\u201c \u201cEspecially in the exuberant finale, with a sudden light switch and color change in the costumes, this pulsating power is very tangible. No wonder the audience in Avignon stood upright for minutes during the applause. This sizzling dance performance was well worth the wait.\u201c \u201cany attempt will end in crushed bodies and shattered bones is overwhelming because of the way in which the power of a large ensemble, so common for dance, is combined with the individual gait of many dancers. […] A certain vulnerability emanates from the challenges Martens poses not only to his dancers, but also to himself. Everyone takes risks here, everyone is vulnerable. […] The dancers visibly enjoy that last part. The performance is also very clearly a tribute to them – to the people who dare to stick their heads and their legs out on the stage of the world.\u201c [critic’s choice] \u201cAny attempt… […], Martens’ first for the main stage, is a dance performance you would like to send everyone to. Compelling, hopeful, moving. And relevant.\u201c Company of the Year: \u201cBerlin’s Dance On Ensemble, whose 40+ dancers truly conjured a wheelwork of precision from fantastic kinetic power, formal resourcefulness and abstract clarity in their revival of Lucinda Child’s \u2018Works in Silence\u2019.\u201c Best Stream: \u201c\u2018Works in Silence\u2019, choreographed by Lucinda Childs, re-staged by Dance On Ensemble\u00a0\u2013\u00a0so simple and complex at the same time.\u201c Most interesting production: \u201cJan Martens from Antwerp and Rotterdam proves with ‘any attempt will end in crushed bodies and shattered bones’ that streamed dance doesn`t need digital gimmicks to surprise.\u201c \u201can inspiring experience that lasts 80 minutes entirely without gloom, although the momentary impossibility of properly savoring moments and days is once again brought home to you with brute-glass clarity.\u201c
\n\u2014 Tomasz Kurianowicz, Rbb-TV, 9 May 2020<\/em><\/p>\nSTEIN<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\n\u2014 Elisabeth Nehring, DLF Fazit, July 25, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014 Frank Schmid, radio3, July 25, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014 Katrin Bettina M\u00fcller, taz, 27. Juli 2025<\/em><\/p>\nMELLOWING<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\n\u2014 Katrin Bettina M\u00fcller, taz, 27. Juli 2025<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014 Lilo Weber, Neue Z\u00fcricher Zeitung, 08 March 2024<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014 Bettina Schulte, Badische Zeitung, 27 February 2024<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014 Torben Ibs und Peter Sampel, Tanznetz.de, 26 February 2024<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014 Rachel Oidtmann, Tanzschreiber, 24 February 2024<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014 Sandra Luzina, Tagesspiegel, 28 January 2023<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014 Elisabeth Nehring, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, 27 January 2023<\/em><\/p>\nKISS THE ONE WE ARE\u00a0<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\n\u2014 Lieve Dierckx,<\/em> pzazz, 27 May 2023<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014 Esther Tuypens, Etcetera, 29 May 2023<\/em><\/p>\nANY ATTEMPT WILL END IN CRUSHED BODIES AND SHATTERED BONES<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\n\u2014 Filip Tielens, De Standaard, 20 July 2021<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014 Fransien van der Putt, Theaterkrant, 2 September 2021<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014 Francine van der Wiel, NRC, 29 October 2021<\/em><\/p>\nTANZ JAHRBUCH 2021\u00a0\u2013<\/strong>\u00a0CRITICS SURVEY\u00a0<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\n\u2014 Vesna Mlakar, M\u00fcncher Abendzeitung<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014 Elisabeth Nehring, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, Deutschlandfunk, WDR<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014 Andrea Kachelrie\u00df, Stuttgarter Nachrichten, Stuttgarter Zeitung<\/em><\/p>\nF\u00c4DEN<\/strong><\/h5>\n
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