Jeremy Nedd
from rock to rock… aka how magnolia was taken for granite
A “truly stunning production” that “strikes a delicate balance between social critique and jubilant celebration, creating a rich tapestry of experience” that was “rightly met with a standing ovation” — Voice Mag
Brooklyn-born and Switzerland-based dancer and choreographer Jeremy Nedd, winner of the Swiss Performing Arts Award in 2023, centers his work around decades of social dances.
His latest work, from rock to rock… aka how magnolia was taken for granite is an homage to the Milly Rock, the viral dance created by rapper 2 Milly that helped define mid-2010s hip-hop culture.
In recent years, the dance has become the subject of a copyright infringement lawsuit between the rapper and a video game company. Nedd and his five-dancer company zero in on this, examining the concept of ownership and appropriation around a dance move. They search for hidden poetry and virtuosic freedom found in social and viral dance moves, looking into the “algorhythm” of Black culture and marginalized movement languages and asking: can a dance move belong to anyone? And, when yes, who actually profits from it?
Jeremy Nedd is a choreographer and performer from Brooklyn, New York, who has been working and living in Basel for some time. He has had various engagements including at the Semperoper in Dresden and at the Ballet Basel. As a guest performer, he is associated with the Schauspielhaus Zürich, where he has collaborated with Trajal Harrell. He recently completed a master’s degree in Expanded Theatre at the HKB – Hochschule der Künste Bern. His previous works, which integrate dance styles from various communities into the contemporary dance realm, have been realized and presented at venues including Kaserne Basel, Arsenic – Centre d’Art scénique contemporain Lausanne, and the Münchner Kammerspiele. In 2023, Jeremy Nedd was awarded the Swiss Performing Arts Award.
Brandy Butler
Nasheeka Nedsreal
Zen Jefferson
Jeremy Guyton
Concept/Choreography/Performance Jeremy Nedd
Performance Brandy Butler, Nasheeka Nedsreal, Zen Jefferson, Serge Desroches
Technical management & lighting design Sebastian Sommer
Stage design Laura Knüsel, Jeremy Nedd
Sound design Fabrizio Di Salvo, Rej Deproc, Xzavier Stone
Dramaturgy Anta Helena Recke
Choreographic assistant Kihako Narisawa
Production Caroline Froelich (Moin Moin Productions)
Touring Caroline Froelich (Moin Moin Productions)
In coproduction with
Kaserne Basel, De Singel Antwerp, DDD – Festival Dias da Dança Porto, Gessnerallee Zürich, Les Halles de Schaerbeek
With the kind support of
Pro Helvetia, Fachausschuss Tanz & Theater BS/BL, Ernst Göhner Stiftung, Jacqueline Spengler Stiftung
Premiere: 14th of September 2023, Kaserne Basel, Switzerland
