The 36th Potsdamer Tanztage kicks off with Le Margherite (The Daisy) by Erika Zueneli / Tant’ Amati and enchanting, fragmented spatial constellations. The piece celebrated its German premiere on 26 May 2026, with an additional performance on 27 May.
First things first: A daisy is not necessarily a daisy.
With smooth but precise and staccato movements, one of the five performers dances to a moving, live cello performance (with vocals) by Sébastien Jacobs and states:
if I were a daisy,
I’m not sure
whether I would have all my
petals
I see blustering bats, bouncing chickens, enormous aristocrats, scattered office workers. What transpires seems so playful that I feel the urge to romp around on stage and experience it all. Figures with more cartilage than bone, an imaginary hula hoop that moves through a body.
I just go with my thoughts
clothes, counts, tools, scissors, today, A A B C
Different constellations of dancers form throughout the space. Sometimes poses that recall everyday scenarios, sometimes symmetrical formations or a painting. The strong solos by individual dancers complement each other and, although not performed in unison, coalesce into a synchronized whole, reflecting the momentum of the piece.
©Oriane Trably
naked in the meadow
lie
The Three Graces
in still images
wearing a giant plastic cloth
as a gown
Le Margherite brings order to chaos or simply accepts chaos as the norm. Situations and spaces are constructed and, before we can get used to them, deconstructed. A feel-good piece, humorous impressions, rapid shifts, and also moving without being fully understandable. No concrete questions and no concrete answers. Or all of the above. Because:
How do you paint the sky?
How the scene develops and what happens next is decided almost at random. This makes the individual scenes seem fragmented. But the transitions are so skillfully managed that the fragments intertwine like a continuous story.
Smoke, fog
until the cloth falls, the curtain rises
behind it
another curtain
looking behind the mirror
with nothing to hide
Dance becomes language, language becomes song. Clothes are constantly being changed, new people are appearing. Poses are changed, glances exchanged. Funny becomes absurd becomes grotesque becomes aesthetic and once again funny. As I take notes, I notice that the lighting has remained the same almost throughout the entire piece. What is happening on stage needs no outside help.
Gaping mouths
Grimacing to the beat
playful
rituals, victims
of what?
“Before we can emerge, we have to learn how to disappear.”
English translation by Melissa Maldonado
Le Margherite by Erika Zueneli / Tant’ Amati was performed on May 26 and 27, 2026, as part of the Potsdamer Tanztage. Potsdamer Tanztage is presenting an extensive program of stage performances through June 7, 2026.