Dunja Jocic & Cello Octet Amsterdam

Two years ago, the renowned New York composer Michael Gordon wrote the exciting '8' for eight cellos for the Cello Octet Amsterdam. Choreographer Dunja Jocic was directly inspired by the music. The eight cellos sound like an autumn storm that swells and settles again. The many shades between bright-light and black-dark are transformed into intense dance by her. The performers enter a beautiful video landscape by designer Filip Mikic. With 'motion capture' video, movements, images and sounds of the dancers and musicians are converted into an image and sound storm.

Cello Octet Amsterdam
Cello Octet Amsterdam is an adventurous collective of cellists that stands for new music and interdisciplinary performances. The Octet preformed at stages and festivals in Europe, the United States, Central and South America, Asia and the Middle East. In the contemporary music world, the Octet is a household name. Through collaborations with composers such as Philip Glass, Sofia Gubaidulina, Arvo Pärt, Theo Loevendie, Mauricio Kagel, Michael Gordon and Kate Moore. Arvo Pärt said after the premiere of his first piece for the Octet: “The Octet is worth its weight in gold, I discovered this ensemble 10 years too late.” 

Dunja Jocic
In her hallucinatory, cinematic performances with an electrically charged and whimsical dance language, choreographer and filmmaker Dunja Jocic confronts us with the absurdity of our existence. Jocic presents her work worldwide at dance and film festivals. In recent years she has collaborated with Guy & Roni, Yannis Kyriakides, Marinus Groothof, Klaas de Vries, Tomoko Mukaiyama and Barbi Markovic. She received the Prize of the Nederlandse Dansdagen Maastricht, BNG Bank Dance award and a nomination for the 'Zwaan' (most impressive dance performance). Her film Bird won the Cinedans Audience Award. 

‘8’ was written by Michael Gordon for Cello Octet Amsterdam with support from November Music and the Cello Biennale Amsterdam.