christoph-winkler.com

“La Fille – Portrait of a Child” is a very personal solo about a difficult father-daughter relationship.

“When artists deal with personal issues on stage and clearly mark them as such, it often has, aside from extreme performances, something slightly embarrassing to it. Lacking distance, giving up the protection of one’s personal sphere and turning the audience into unwitting voyeurs. Christoph Winkler is much too clever for such pitfalls. What he has developed with his dancer is a clear, coherent piece, a psychological dance study with data and statistics projected onto a screen in the background. […]
What does it mean to not have a sense of “basic trust”, to not feel secure in the world, always standing on precarious terrain? […] the dancer has become a mirror which Winkler uses to retell his story, to restructure reality. Interweaving the idyllic ballet world of princesses and hisown personal reality in a way that seems only at first glance absurd.” – Berliner Zeitung

“With flowing movements, the girl floats across the stage to the sounds of classical music. In front of the screen, she swings around; the traditional ballet steps evolve into a puposefully casual hip-hop strut. Boxing her way forwards, she strides towards the audience, then poses provocatively, only to finally revert to a state of grimacing toddler. It’s just play. She can’t be meaning any harm. It’s a game, dress-up, exuberance, makes you want to laugh watching her. But it’s also disturbing. Who is this girl? What does she want? Does she herself even know what she wants?

Christoph Winkler has found an outstanding performer in Emma Daniel. Her portrayal of a toddler is just as convincing as her embodiment of a teenager. Skillfully, she switches from one dance style to the next. And her face: sometimes cute, sometimes confused or hurt. And sometimes: very angry.” – Berliner Morgenpost