Ballet Now In Worthing: Didy Veldman’s The Knot

A Dance theatre take on matrimony at the Connaught Theatre, Worthing

This autumn a tour of Didy Veldman’s The Knot, a dance theatre take on matrimony, will be at the Connaught Theatre, Worthing. Dutch-born choreographer and director Veldman has a cast of seven exceptional dancers playing the roles of the bride, groom, best man and bridesmaids, and audience members become the wedding guests as the evening and celebrations unfold.

The Knot explores familiar scenes of marriage as the Connaught Theatre becomes a wedding venue and guests arrive as excitement builds and scenes of love and togetherness overcome anticipation and nerves amongst the wedding party.

Sharp eyed & humorous

Known for a sharp-eyed approach and some humorous touches, The Knot is Veldman’s second work for her company Umanoove since it launched with her critically acclaimed The Happiness Project in 2016. Veldman scrutinises what a wedding means and how it feels in The Knot, the role of ritual, doubt, religion and gender is examined and the romanticised ideas of Walt Disney challenges our perceptions of marriage.

Veldman is a former dancer with Rambert, one of the UK’s leading dance companies, and left the company in 2000 to pursue a choreographic career.
In the UK, Veldman has been commissioned by Rambert, Northern Ballet and Scottish Dance Theatre and in 2019 she will create a new work, collaborating with composer Gabriel Prokofiev, the grandson of Sergei Prokofiev, for Birmingham Royal Ballet’s inaugural ‘Ballet Now’ programme.

For Umanoove, Veldman tailors each company of dancers to suit each work. The international cast of performers interprets the themes of Veldman’s work through her extremely physical and theatrical movement style.

Stravinsky’s masterpiece Les Noces (The Wedding) is intertwined with specially commissioned music by London and Paris-based British composer Ben Foskett. His work has included commissions for CBSO Youth Orchestra and London Children’s Ballet.

16 November
Connaught Theatre, Worthing 01903 206 206 online at worthingtheatres.co.uk.