A stream of sharp lines

Choreographer Nanine Linning is known for her often strong compositions and striking lighting designs. Alongside her work with the Scapino Ballet Rotterdam she continues to produce choreographies with her own foundation, Pipsters, for smaller theatres, including 2003‘s performance “Karpp?“ for dancers Iris Reyes and Mirjam ter Linden.

This powerful but delicate duet received much critical acclaim so when Linning decided to create a remake, “Karpp XL,“ for six female dancers on Scapino‘s big stage, the project held considerable promise in a double bill with “Rosary“ by artistic director Ed Wubbe.
“Karpp XL“ opens with the dancers, dressed in shades of red and wrap skirts, lined up diagonally facing the front left corner, from which a diffuse stream of light falls. While they follow the deep opening strains of Jacob Ter Veldhuis‘ “String Quartet No. 2, Postnuclear Winterscenario“ they move towards the light, stretching their arms and slowly turning their legs forward. The drawn-out pace of the music seems to weigh heavily on the dancers. Linning sticks to the existing movement material. Over the years she has developed an abstract movement vocabulary that is reinforced by her ...