GLA55 at tanzhaus nrw: Philip Glass’ Music Becomes Hypnotic Movement
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GLA55: When Philip Glass’ Minimalism Moves
A pulsating sound, a body in space, a movement that repeats and subtly changes: With GLA55. 10 movements to the music of Philip Glass, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker brings a radical encounter of contemporary dance and minimalist music to tanzhaus nrw. On November 28, 2026, the dancers of Rosas will meet the musicians of Ictus and BL!NDMAN.
Four Early Compositions, a Hypnotic Pull
At the center of the performance are four works from Philip Glass’ creative phase of 1969 and 1970: Music in Contrary Motion, Music in Fifths, Music in Similar Motion, and Music with Changing Parts. The pieces combine strict formal reduction with an almost trance-like musical flow. Short motifs interlock, shift, and create a tension between repetition and unpredictability.
Glass’ encounter with the Indian composer and sitar player Ravi Shankar profoundly shaped his understanding of rhythm. The music transcends fixed meter boundaries and develops a stream that is both precise and open. It is within this tension that De Keersmaeker's choreography finds its energy.
Circles, Spirals, and the Geometry of the Body
Six dancers from Rosas move through circles, spirals, and ellipses. The choreography does not merely follow the music but makes its structure visible. Bodies draw lines in space, rotate, accelerate, and continuously find themselves in new constellations. The movement appears mechanical and organic at the same time – like a mathematical pattern that suddenly begins to breathe.
The dramaturgy of GLA55 focuses on the essential. From minimal movement materials, a multifaceted stage environment of bodies, light, and sound emerges. The lemniscate, the symbol of infinity, serves as a central motif: an unending movement between beginning and end, order and ecstasy.
Live Music Between Precision and Sound Art
The musicians of Ictus and BL!NDMAN perform alongside the dancers on stage. Ictus, musical partner of Rosas since 1994, has been working for decades at the intersection of new music, performance, and choreography. For GLA55, the collaboration with De Keersmaeker marks the sixteenth joint production.
BL!NDMAN expands the sound world with a performative, genre-crossing musical language. Saxophone sounds, rhythmic layering, and spatial accents combine to create an immediate stage experience. Lighting design by Minna Tiikkainen, costumes by Aouatif Boulaich, and the sound by Alexandre Fostier condense the theater atmosphere into a precisely composed total work of art.
Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and the Power of Reduction
Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker is one of the defining voices in international contemporary dance. Her productions have explored the relationship between music, space, and movement for decades. GLA55 continues this artistic research and focuses for the first time on the early minimalist works of Philip Glass.
The choreographic signature of Rosas combines analytical clarity with physical intensity. From repetition, there is no standstill, but a continuous shift in perception. The audience experiences how even the smallest changes can create a significant emotional impact.
Conclusion: An Evening of Dance Between Order and Ecstasy
GLA55 promises a focused, sensual, and simultaneously demanding stage experience. Contemporary dance, live music, and visual geometry merge into a performance that makes Philip Glass’ early compositions physically tangible. Those who wish to experience the hypnotic power of minimalist music and the precision of great choreography live will find an extraordinary theater evening at tanzhaus nrw.
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