Assembly Hall

“Gripping”, “irresistible”, “overwhelmingly emotional”: When Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young presented their first dance theatre piece together in 2015, not only the critics raved with praise. Numerous prestigious awards were showered upon this newly formed duo whose empathic approach in “Betroffenheit” (affectedness) proficiently staged an unspeakable tragedy with the necessary nuances: the death of one’s child. 

Crystal Pite, who once danced in William Forsythe’s Ballet Frankfurt and has been a choreographer for renowned companies for over 30 years, delights her audiences with bold works about highly sensitive topics. The Canadian found an ideal partner in theatre-maker Jonathon Young. The two intelligently merge dance and theatre. 

Their third collaboration – whose Austrian premiere can be experienced at the Festspielhaus – explores the human need for belonging. With an eight-member ensemble, they envision a gathering place, both a community hall and mythical realm, which offers a space for various emotions: from the joys and dangers of devoted like-mindedness to the pain of exile.