Julidans: Mercury Rising

Jefta van Dinther (SE/DE)

Sat 11 Jul ’26 and Sun 12 Jul ’26

A language you don’t read, but see – and feel.

coming soon

Sat 11 Jul ’26

and

Sun 12 Jul ’26

coming soon

Sat 11 Jul ’26

21:00

Frascati, Amsterdam

Frascati 1

To wishlist

coming soon
Sun 12 Jul ’26

21:00

Frascati, Amsterdam

Frascati 1

To wishlist

coming soon

In Mercury Rising, three performers weave sign language and dance into a single, fluid movement language.

What happens when language is not translated, but takes a physical, visible form? In Mercury Rising, choreographer Jefta van Dinther explores communication as artistic material. Together with Dawn Jani Birley, Rita Mazza and Lukas Malkowski, he develops a hybrid movement language in which sign language, gesture and dance merge. No translation, no subtitles. Language unfolds here as movement, as the body becomes a site where meaning is made, unmade, and transformed.

On stage, the three performers move with great precision. Their hands and arms trace rapid sequences of signs. A large, shifting frame structures the space: what happens inside the frame is sharply defined, while what lies outside becomes blurred. A play emerges between the visible and the invisible, between understanding and letting go.

A landscape of subwoofers sends low frequencies through the space—felt in the chest, in the feet, down to the bone. Vibration becomes tangible, creating a shared experience for Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing audiences alike.

The title Mercury Rising refers to mercury: a liquid substance that is always in motion. Meaning is not fixed, but constantly shifts through what the performers do with their bodies. At the same time, the performance suggests that complete understanding is an illusion—and that this very incompleteness, this shared search for meaning, can bring us closer together.

Part of

Julidans 2026

Credits

choreography Jefta van Dinther created and performed by Rita Mazza, Dawn Jani Birley, Lukas Malkowski costumes and stage Cristina Nyffeler lighting design Jonatan Winbo sound design David Kiers backdrop Gonçalo Sena dramaturgy Gabriel Smeets artistic advice Maja Zimmermann technical direction Andrea Parolin and Fabian Bleisch light Fabian Bleisch sound Andrea Parolin management Sven Neumann production management Uta Engel and Romy Hansford-Gerber distribution Sarah De Ganck, ART HAPPENS financial management transmissions GmbH (DE) and Interim kultur AB (SE) production Jefta van Dinther co-production Norrlandsoperan Umeå, Dansens Hus Stockholm, Dansnät Sverige, HAU Hebbel am Ufer Berlin, PACT Zollverein Essen, CNDC Angers Funded by Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion and Fonds Darstellende Künste In 2025 Jefta van Dinther was funded by Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion and Swedish Arts Council supported by Nationales Performance Netz (NPN), Canada Council for the Arts. photography Cecilia Gaeta, Szymon Stephniak

About Jefta van Dinther

Jefta van Dinther (Netherlands/Sweden 1980) is a choreographer and dancer working between Berlin and Stockholm. In his work, he investigates how the body produces meaning and how that meaning can shift, distort, or disappear. His work is known for its physical precision, hypnotic intensity, and strong visual worlds. Van Dinther presents his work internationally at leading festivals and theatres, including Tanz im August, Julidans and ImPulsTanz. With works such as GRIND, Plateau Effect, Dark Field Analysis and the diptych On Earth I’m Done, he has established himself as one of the most influential choreographers of his generation.