stück/piece

In stück/piece, Caroline Simon questions what a dance performance should include. And by trying something new, she triumphs.

Playing the role of everyone and everything on stage from dancer to music, from light projection to even her own dance partner, Simon dazzles. The only performer on stage on a set with no props, Simon never seems lonely. Indeed, as she says herself, “this whole stage is filled with my personality.”

stück/piece brings a whole new meaning to audience participation. While no-one is pulled up on stage with Simon, she talks directly to the audience and expects a reaction. It might normally be acceptable to sit in the dark and watch a dance performance, idly wondering what the point is, stück/piece reverses all of this.

Simon’s commentary throughout is funny yet honest, fantastical yet important. Here Simon explains what is supposed to be seen and thought, and sometimes, what she’s thinking too, about what ought to be there: “that’s pretty huh?”

The audience is free to sit back and imagine this splendid dance, this love story that’s being described, taking place before them. How relaxing, the pressure is off.

And that’s the thing about stück/piece: this heroic dance drama might at first seem to be happening only inside Simon’s imagination. Eventually, actually, it’s there, on stage, right in front of us. Yes, Simon plays all the parts, and she plays them perfectly.