Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young's Betroffenheit Opens Torinodanza

Torinodanza festival, now directed by Anna Cremonini, opened with Betroffenheit, a performance choreographed by Crystal Pite and created with actor-playwright Jonathon Young. The title translates to 'dismay' or 'consternation' and refers to a post-traumatic affective state, inspired by Young's personal tragedy of losing his daughter and two cousins in a fire. The work is a tour de force for performers and technicians, exploring survival and grief. The first part presents a Kafkaesque world with an industrial set, a steel column, and electrical cables, where the survivor's pain is interrupted by gags, playback, and dance styles like samba and cha cha cha. The second part shifts to an individual journey culminating in a solo. Pite's piece is seen as a breakthrough, integrating physical theater and dance more organically than her previous works. The festival runs in Turin, Italy.