The Romeo
Trajal Harrell, Schauspielhaus Zürich Dance Ensemble
- # eclectisch
- # playful
- # visueel
The American choreographer and dancer Trajal Harrell (Douglas, Georgia, 1973) is one of the most important choreographers of his generation. He rose to fame thanks to a series of works in which he combined a speculative view of history and canon with the idiom of post-modern dance, augmented with multiple elements from contemporary pop culture. For instance, he immersed himself in postmodern dance history and the voguing ballroom scene. In 2016 Harrell completed an Annenberg Residency at MoMA (Museum of Modern Art in New York), where he focused on the work of the Japanese founder of butoh dance, Tatsumi Hijikata. In 2018, Harrell was named ‘Dancer of the Year’ by the renowned German magazine Tanz. He subsequently created the introspective performance entitled Dancer of the Year in which he reflects on what winning this kind of award means and what exactly his role is as a dancer and a choreographer working on the intersection between various styles and cultures.
Since 2019, Harrell has been associated with Schauspielhaus Zurich, where he has his own company, the Schauspielhaus Zurich Dance Ensemble.
The Romeo was featured at the prestigious Cour d'honneur du Palais des papes at the Festival d'Avignon in 2023. The Festival d'Automne in Paris organised a retrospective featuring his work between September and December 2023.
Education
American Studies at Yale University
Trisha Brown School
Centre National de la Danse, Paris
City College of San Francisco
Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance
Major work
2009-2014 The Judson Church series
2013 Used Abused and Hung Out to Dry
2015 The Ghost of Montpellier Meets the Samurai
2015 The Return of La Argentina
2015 The Return of The Modern Dance
2016 In The Mood for Frankie
2016 Caen Amour
2017 Juliet & Romeo
2018 Morning in Byzantium
2018 Dancer of the Year
2019 Séance de Travail
2020 The Köln Concert
2020 Porca Miseria
Prizes and awards
2008 Quartet for the End of Time, ‘Best dance production’ - Time Out New York
2018 ‘Dancer of the Year’ - Tanz Magazine
Previous in the Holland Festival
2014 Judson Church is Ringing in Harlem (Made-to-Measure) / Twenty Looks or Paris is Burning at The Judson Church (M2M)
2015 The Return of The Modern Dance
2022 Porca Miseria