Dance the night away

Dance the night away celebrates dancing as well as music and coming together. For this production, the dance company has twelve additional “dancers”: twelve identical dolls which embody various meanings. They function as dance partners, alter egos or they recall memories of old friends, family or people we once loved. But: It is primarily the selection of songs which sets the tone for this energetic piece. The playlist created by Kevin O’Day with artists like Iggy Pop, James Brown, Miles Davis and Curtis Mayfield is playful, humorous and nostalgic at the same time. And above all: It makes you dance!

The German phrase “Tanzen bis in die Puppen“ (which is the original title of this production) was established in the 18th century in Berlin. At the square Großer Stern was a collection of sculptures depicting characters of antique mythology. People in Berlin simply called them “Puppen” (engl. Dolls). When people went on a walk on Saturday afternoon from the ancient city centre of Berlin all the way to Großer Stern, they often described their way as “bis in die Puppen” (all the way to the dolls). Over the years, this meaning was transferred from a purely spatial to a more temporal dimension. One reason for that could have been that also at the weekends, people had copious parties in the area around Großer Stern– that is why nowadays “bis in die Puppen” in German is closely linked to celebrating and throwing parties all night long… dancing the night away!