TALKING CITY (2015)

Libretto by John Dietrich

Commissioned by: Jonathan Hass

Original Choreography by: Christen Svingos

About: Talking City is a collision between dance, music and theatrical storytelling. Grounded in percussion, it specifically enables these musicians and performers to shine in a unique way, using their instruments and skills to drive the story and capture the world in which it exists.

Talking City tells the story of young girl, making her way through the urban jungle of New York, enthralled by all the possibility the city promises, yet looking at it through the eyes of an eternal romantic – optimistic but not always realistic. She encounters everything New York can dish up: from the gritty to the humorous to the bittersweet.

Her journey is brought to life using only percussion, vocalists and piano, each used to suggest everything that her day brings: from the silly domesticity of brushing her teeth to the challenges of maneuvering the subway and the crazy cast of characters that confront her there.

Ultimately, it is the tale of the missed opportunities that help us understand better who we are and what we desire from both life and love.

Premiered: April 28, 2015 at the Frederick Loewe Theater, New York University

https://soundcloud.com/peter-michael-von-der-nahmer/talking-city