The Romeo

Picture a dance. Let’s call it the “Romeo”, after Shakespeare’s young lover who, in ignited enthusiasm, believed he could conquer death. Picture this dance, which would be known all over the world, although no one would know when and where it was created. Some would say that it was first danced many centuries ago while herding sheep in an alpine pasture; others might claim to have seen it for the first time at a rural funeral; perhaps it was created during a break in a mine shaft or after an errant shot during a hunt on the North American steppes; or maybe the daughter of a Japanese fisherman danced the Romeo for the first time when her father had reached the safe shore again after a violent storm.

No matter where the Romeo might have originated: Picture the dance that people of all origins, genders and generations, of all tempers and moods, perform when they have left their tragedies behind and are just dancing. Trajal Harrell will now bring it to Zurich. And maybe that’s where the story really begins.