the knot

Premiere 9 February, 2018

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.

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.

Lighting design is by Ben Ormerod, a regular collaborator of Veldman’s, and set and costume design is by Joana Dias.

‘Didy Veldman is a dance-maker of note, and a story-teller of skill. Her latest work, The Knot, performed by her company Umanoove at The Place, allows her audience to revel in 60 minutes of intentional theatre – a rarity in modern dance of late. The work questions marriage; what it means, how it looks and how it feels through a heady mix of dance, gesture, word and music.’

Culture Whisper by Matthew Paluch.




Photography Chris Nash