David Dawson

00:00

World première: 11 February 2004
Dutch National Ballet, Het Muziektheater, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Choreography, Concept and Staging
 David Dawson
Sound Design
 Niels Lanz
Set Design David Dawson
Costume Design Yumiko Takeshima
Light Design Bert Dalhuysen
Assistants to the Choreographer
Amy RaymondEleonora Demichelis

00:00, created for the Dutch National Ballet in 2004, was originally conceived as a ‘sister work’ to The Grey Area. Continuing to work closely with the sound designer Niels Lanz, the themes of a ‘no-man’s land’ developed into ideas about new beginnings and starting points.

Dawson aimed at breaking the rules by trying to focus on creating a work of anti-structure and anti-musicality. He wanted to make a work that turned its back on the rules of tradition and looked only towards the brightest future. Being fascinated by scientific theory concerning the behaviour of DNA, cell division and multiplication, and life force, it became a work about creation itself. This resulted in a finely woven series of scenes that resembled the randomness of nature while retaining a fixed code. Like watching electrical synaptic explosions in the brain. At the same time and in the same moment it became a view of both an inner and outer universe.

When the piece starts we find ourselves lost, as if in a primordial soup where we begin to witness the beginning of life. As this scene builds and develops it becomes more and more dangerous until it explodes into a duet. What should follow would be a harmonic state of being, almost the idea of success. But on the first attempt, this nature fails and has to start again from scratch. Everything begins again but this time it takes a new direction. Again we find ourselves moving towards something powerful until a new and more positive duet begins. This time it succeeds and we are finally led into order and kinship.

The whole experience of 00:00 resembles a continuous sunrise suggesting we have moved out from the darkness and into the light, and find ourselves in a place of infinite possibilities.

Sofiane Sylve - The Grey Area - Dutch National Ballet - photo © Deen van MeerBritt Juleen - Morning Ground - Dutch National Ballet - photo © Tamas Nagy
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