The dance of grief over a child’s death
Reports on how a fire that claimed the lives of three children became an international theatre masterpiece.
The German word betroffenheit has no English equivalent, but describes the states of shock and grief following a deep and unexpected trauma.
Canadian theatre artist Jonathan Young knows the state of betroffenheit all too well.
In 2009, he lost his 14-year-old daughter (and only child), as well as his niece and nephew in a fire during a holiday. The pain, grief, trauma and shock that Young experienced has been translated into an award-winning production developed by Young and five-star choreographer Crystal Pite.
It’s called Betroffenheit and will feature at this year’s New Zealand Festival.
British-Colombian Pite, the founder of dance company Kidd Pivot in Vancouver and an awardwinning choreographer, said it felt right to develop a dance theatre out of her co-creator’s tragedy.
‘‘As much as I was nervous about whether or not I had the skill or capacity to go with it, I also felt like it was the right subject, that I was drawn to do it, I was compelled to do it,’’ she said.
‘‘[Young] approached me with an idea for a performance, a creation, and he wasn’t sure at the time what kind of form it would take – an installation, or whether it would be a one-man show, or whether it would have performers in at all, or maybe just text and object, so it was really wide open at the time,’’ Pite recalled.
‘‘I knew the general content of the work was to be drawn from his own personal experience of loss but, from the first conversation, we both agreed that we wanted to make this a more universal story that wasn’t just his own experience, but it was the very question of suffering and of loss and of grief and of trauma and what potential would that have in terms of creation, in terms of making space for something, in terms of exploring the limits of language, for example in a theatre work.’’
Betroffenheit is an exceptional dance-theatre hybrid that tells the story of the aftermath of a profound personal tragedy – and not necessarily Young’s, but – as the work’s protagonist – he is at the centre of the piece, supported by five Kidd Pivot dancers.
It explores post-traumatic stress disorder, grief and then, beyond that, healing and comfort.
Pite said she didn’t sit down with Young to explore his pain because the production needed to be universal.
‘‘We were really trying to broaden it and ask bigger questions – that’s not to say that this story wasn’t the engine for the whole thing, and it was, and it
"It's a bit of a rabbit hole, the show, and I just love being part of it and being in it." Crystal Pite
continues to be, of course, but Jonathan first and foremost was concerned about creating something that would be beautiful and complex and earnest and wouldn’t be self-indulgent, wouldn’t be a picture of someone wallowing in tragedy. It would be something much more expansive that that,’’ she said.
Over the past three years, Betroffenheit has toured the world with rave reviews. In 2017, it received a Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production.
Its appearance at the New Zealand Festival will be its final world tour performance. Though the production sounds dark and heavy, Pite said Betroffenheit also contains a lot of joy, hope and humour.
‘‘As much as it tackles difficult subjects, it also shows the work of coming to terms,’’ she said. ‘‘It shows the work of coming-to-terms is a daily practice and it is doable and it is meaningful ... there’s a sense of love, there’s a sense of survival and a sense of a continuum.’’
Pite said her favourite feature of the show was its ability to fluidly move from dance and theatre. ‘‘You really can’t tell where one ends and the other one begins,’’ she reflected.
‘‘I feel we set out to create a true hybrid and so when I look at Betroffenheit I feel really proud that it is what happened. I also can’t tell where my own influence on the show stops and his begins and vice-versa, it’s completely woven together.
‘‘Every time we do the show, I find new corners in it, things I hadn’t noticed before – so it’s a bit of a rabbit hole, the show, and I just love being part of it and being in it and watching it and witnessing it. I love having an audience beside me in the theatre and hearing them react and respond to what’s happening. That’s the whole reason we do any of this – to try to connect with other humans and so when I feel that that’s happening, it’s just such a beautiful feeling.’’ ❚ Betroffenheit: St James Theatre, March 3 and 4 from 8pm.