Interview Directory 

DÜSSELDORF

Name: Daniel Smith

Profession: Canadian choreographe, performer, and artistic leader of his company Dans Myth

Residence: Düsseldorf

Dancers  Luisa Stehmann and Oskar Eon ©Tobias Frei

AM: How did you feel about the premiere at the Theatermuseum? Can you tell us about the response from the audience? 

DS: It was overwhelming and super positive. As an independent artist you are always very stressed because you don't know if people will come. But we were sold out and there were even people who had to stand because we didn't have enough chairs.

AM: What have guests been saying?

DS: A lot of people have said that it was very honest and vulnerable and that they were impressed by the choreography, which they felt was unique and individual.

AM: Where did you get the inspiration for Sparkle Beasts? 

DS: For this piece, the collaboration with the visual artist Rewert Remmers, who is also part of the production team, was extremely important. His artwork was a big inspiration for this piece. Some of his artworks are infused with a sense of child-like fantasy which also inspired the direction of the piece.

‘I wanted to explore how difficult memories we want to avoid can be confronted and then reintegrated into your identity.’

AM: When you wrote the piece, did you base it on traumatic childhood experiences?

DS: My creations are not autobiographical. As a child, I often experienced not belonging, feeling excluded from the group. This piece is not just about the experiences of queer people, but there is definitely a big aspect of it. You should try to re-analyse parts of your life as an adult and try to see the light in it as well. A play that deals with childhood trauma is a dark thing, but the play itself has many aspects to it. Of course these a re difficult subjects, but the piece itself has many aspects.

Dancers  Luisa Stehmann and Oskar Eon ©Tobias Frei

‘I like to share my art and my passion and hope that people find something special in it.’

AM: What is your vision for Sparkle Beasts?

DS: For me, the most important thing is that the piece is authentic, that people are touched, that they connect on an emotional level, and that it gives them the opportunity to reflect and be inspired. I like to share my art and my passion and hope that people find something special in it.

AM: And you grew up in Canada?

I came to Düsseldorf 7 years ago. I danced with the Ballett am Rhein for a few years and for the last 3 years I have been doing my own freelance projects and choreographies.

AM: As an independent artist, are you supported by the Theatermuseum or the city, or is it difficult in the scene? 

DS: The Theatermuseum is very generous. They make the space available to me. The most important thing is to have a venue, because without it, especially for live performances, it doesn't live. I was very generously supported by the Kunst- und Kulturstiftung der Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf.

AM: Are you booked by festivals or cities?

DS: The hope is that the creation (Sparkle Beasts a.d.R.) can have more life, and not just exist in three performances, and not just be shown in Düsseldorf, but also in other places.

AM: How do you rate the queer scene in Düsseldorf?

DS: Personally, I'm very happy with my partner. As quite a househusband, I'm not really out and about much in the scene. Since I've been in Düsseldorf, there have been more queer-centred projects and things have developed in that direction.

‘Of course I have the ambition to do bigger projects and get more support.’

AM: What is your dream for your career in Germany? 

DS: I'm happy if I can continue in the direction I'm currently going. Of course, I hope that more things and opportunities will become possible. Of course I have the ambition to do bigger projects and get more support.

‘At the moment you always don't know if it will be your last chance and of course some stability would be very welcome.’

AM: Would you like to have your own theatre?

DS: I think that's part of my dream. It would make it easier to be able to consistently create. At the moment you don't know every time whether it will be your last chance and of course some stability would be very welcome.

Dancers  Luisa Stehmann and Oskar Eon ©Tobias Frei

Dancers  Luisa Stehmann and Oskar Eon ©Tobias Frei