SOUNDS

Concept: Donna Chittick Choreography: Donna Chittick in collaboration with the dancers Dancers: Darion Thompson, Leonarda Lovrekovic, Manou te Voortwis & Stephano Linkers Singer: Charmaine Charlemagne Lighting Design: Jeffrey Steenbergen Technicians: Ewout Blanken & Gijs Feskens Sound Design: Simone Giacomini Dramaturgy: Yahmani Blackman Styling: Ishijah Thompson Third Eye Music & Vocals: Vernon Chatlein Photography: Sjoerd Derine Graphic Design: Anthony van de Vijver Videography: Hector Ruiz – Pixelstream Marketing: Shewska Verbene Production Management: Maud Bruggeman Tour Manager: Megan Rietvelt Managing Director: Elisia da Silva Martins Peças Accessibility consultation for Deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences: Theater Met Tolk With thanks to: Susanne Tuny, Theaterfestival Boulevard, Inonge Jante Stekelenburg en Noor Jayani

Made possible by: Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst, Cultuurfonds, VSB Fonds, Fonds 21, KF Hein Fonds

With Sounds, choreographer and artistic director Donna Chittick presents her most personal work to date. The performance is an explosion of Caribbean rhythms, African influences and hip-hop energy — a celebration of music that connects generations, cultures and bodies.

“For me, Sounds means a journey,” Donna says. “Music has always guided me; it’s my compass, my language, my person. During the pandemic, I rediscovered how deeply music is rooted within me. I went back to my childhood in Sint Maarten, to the sounds that shaped me: soca, zouk, R&B, hip-hop and Latin. That feeling, that memory, was something I wanted to share.”

Sounds is deeply rooted in heritage and identity. Donna weaves her Caribbean background and African influences into the performance, not as decoration but as its essence.

“It’s not about transferring knowledge,” she says. “It’s about what music does to us: how it evokes memories, how it connects us. I want to show where our sounds come from and how they continue to move through generations.”

Sounds invites a wide variety of audiences to come together: hip-hop enthusiasts, the Afro-Caribbean community, Deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors, adventurous theatre and dance audiences, and curious young people who mainly encounter dance through social media.

“We’re building bridges between worlds that rarely meet,” says Elisia. “Sounds is an invitation for everyone to experience music anew — not only with your ears, but with your whole body.”