Normality No More

A unique co-production between Via Berlin, Ragazze Quartet, and Conny Janssen Danst.

A bestseller in classical music, Schubert’s Winterreise, is stripped down to the bone and rebuilt. In the original Winterreise, the protagonist embarks on a solitary winter journey after his love has left him. In search of inner peace, yet tormented and haunted by memories, he remains behind on the ice in despair. In Normality No More, modern dance, music theatre, and classical music merge into a new version: an ode to the divergent brain and a call for understanding and empathy for people who experience the world differently from the masses. In Normality No More, all dancers, musicians, and actors play a character inspired by both personal experiences and scientific research on neurodivergence. They showcase their strength and vulnerability, embrace their own diversity, and simultaneously yearn for social integration. The audience experiences what it is like to step into the shoes of people who are seen as ‘strange’ and discovers the unique, multifaceted, and wondrous qualities of the neurodiverse human being. The Ragazze Quartet previously created a version for baritone and string quartet of Winterreise, originally written for baritone and piano based on a poem by Wilhelm Müller. In Normality No More, they assemble a colorful ensemble with an unusual combination of instruments and styles. With countertenor, jazz vocals, string quartet, electronics, keyboards, percussion, and bagpipes, Schubert’s music is transformed into a completely new, neurodiverse alternative ranging from pulsating electropop to hypnotic string glissandi and Surinamese dance rhythms. These contrasts are also reflected in the choreography by young maker Davide Bellotta. He was one of the defining dancers of Conny Janssen Danst from 2011 to 2019. With Normality No More, he makes his debut for the main hall – under the coaching guidance of Conny Janssen. As final director, Ria Marks ultimately weaves all the different layers of music, dance, and text together into a surreal, moving whole.

Toured the big Dutch main theater stages 50 times in 2024/2025.