Welcome to my blog. You will find here some news and texts that come side by side to my artistic activities as choreographer, dancer and performer.

Monday 21 December 2009

"Empathy project, vol 1" in Pinkafeld


Empathy project. Vol 1. on the way! The premiere will take place during imagetanz festival in brut in March 2010. We have made a research between drug-addicts on Karlsplatz and now a residency in Pinkafeld/Burgenland...
Project is initiated and led by Magdalena Chowaniec.

Few words about the project:

‘I look for a role that hopefully I feel empathy with and that I can understand and love, but also that has that challenge for me to play - a different kind of role, a different type of character, a different time period.’
Kathy Bates

‘Bodies of drug addicts on Karlsplatz became to me highly inspirational in all their ambivalent existence. The way they inspired me, and the admiration I started to share for their incredible bodily capabilities, occurred very paradoxal - in all its misery becoming almost poetic to my eyes.’
Magdalena Chowaniec

Empathy Project puts the phenomena of empathy in the center of interest and questions the importance of empathy our days, it looks for the possibilities of bridging the social and artistic, abstract on a ‘new’ empathic level. In ‘Vol. I’ reflections upon the outsiders lead to the questions about what's allowed, acceptable and what inappropriate in the society of theatre trying to turn excluded into exclusive. ‘Vol. I’ examines the methods, possibilities and effects of empathizing with the excluded ones through the process based at first on a search for a common empathy in a group. Three human beings turn into a ‘human tabula rasa’. Crossing the border between life and theatre, they rush through the world and melt with different surroundings becoming a part of various landscapes. They look for a ‘homeless esthetics’ in art, taking another point of view onto life – practicing homelessness, performing junkies, researching physicality of the rejected ones.


Participants:
Concept: Magdalena Chowaniec (PL/A)
Research/Creation/Performance: Gabri Einsiedl (A), Magdalena Chowaniec (PL/A), Radek Hewelt (PL/A)
Technical help/Sound: Vladi Tchapanov (BLG/A)

Links:
www.mariamagdalena.cc
www.myspace.com/rockthemob
www.madamlena.blogspot.com

Wednesday 16 December 2009

Cooperativa Performativa in TanzQuartier

no territorialization no hierarchy no competition no property or: open source practices for diminish the ego

With: Maria Baroncea (RO), Magdalena Chowaniec (A), Adriana Cubides (A), Florin Flueras (RO), Fanni Futterknecht (A), Eduard Gabia (RO), Claire Granier (A), Radek Hewelt (A), Thomas Kasebacher (A), Alexandra Pirici (RO) and Iuliana Stoianescu (RO).









Cooperative Performativa is a collective that brings together the Romanian artists Maria Baroncea, Florin Flueras, Eduard Gabia, Alexandra Pirici and Iuliana Stoianescu. Starting from the basic idea of open source, they investigate the (power) relationship of art insti-tutions and artists, claims to ownership and copyright interests in one’s own work, the necessity of guidance and direction in a group as well as the product-oriented forms of collaboration, which are based on agreement, negotiation and compromises. The emphasis of their project is the process itself, which – on a largely grassroots democratic basis – creates heterotopias, differences and commonalities in one’s own as well as others’ artistic creation, connected with the attempt not to judge them but precisely to highlight their diversity.







During a one-week encounter with a group of artists working in Vienna, the discursive strategies developed by Cooperativa Performativa will be challenged and tested.










The results of this open working process will be presented on 16 December and are at the same time the curtain-raiser and framework for the discussion of the restructured residency programme that the Tanzquartier Wien together with KulturKontakt Austria and other partners will be continuing in the 2009/10 season.









Links:
http://cooperativaperformativa.blogspot.com/

Friday 4 December 2009

Alles Gute. Ein Umgang 2009 - All the best. An advent tour 2009


I'm preparing a small showing for this year's "Alles Gute. Ein Umgang 2009 - All the best. An advent tour 2009"
If you want to have a nice evening tour through viennese 7th district's picturesque streets and cultural institution with different artistic ecounters feel very welcome. The organizers have a pleasure to offer you few short artistic programs from the fields of Literature, Music, Dance and Theatre plus to have a nice walk with opportunities to treat yourself with delicious Glühwein (hot spiced wine served specially in the period before and around Christmas).
The advent tour will start at 5 pm at Hauptbücherei am Gürtel (Main Library on Gürtel). Other locations are: Theater Spielraum, Jewish Theater of Austria, Literaturhaus, Medienwerkstatt Wien, Sieben*stern, Fleischerei/Projekt Theater Studio, mica - music austria, Architekturzentrum Wien and TanzQuartier.

I'll present a perforamance created specially for this occasion called: Tonight it’s just a tune. It will close the whole evening programme and it's scheduled at 9:30 pm at TanzQuartier.


Below I enclosed a short information in german. Detailed programme of the whole evening is displayed on the web-site of mica (music information center austria):
http://www.mica.at/mica_aktuell/detail_13488.html



Information in german:

"Alles Gute. Ein Umgang 2009"

Wie schon in den letzten Jahren findet auch heuer am 14. Dezember 2009 der bereits zur Tradition gewordene Adventrundgang „Alles Gute – Ein Umgang“ durch die Gassen des siebenten Bezirks statt. In diversen Kurzprogrammen aus Literatur, Musik, Tanz, Theater rund um den Advent soll das Publikum in einer gemütlichen Weise, auf die besinnliche Zeit eingestimmt werden.


Links:
http://www.mica.at

Tuesday 1 December 2009

TONIGHTS TUNE trailer!!!

Dear guests,

I strongly encourage you to watch a trailer of my last piece TONIGHTS TUNE that I have just finished to edit.
TONIGHTS TUNE had its premiere on June 2nd 2009 at WUK in Vienna.
Video-recording was made during our 3rd performance at WUK on June 4th.



TONIGHTS TUNE

Artistic direction:
Radek Hewelt

Choreogarphy and performance: Gabri M. Einsiedl, Dominik Grünbühel, Radek Hewelt, Linda Samaraweerova

Light design: Nicole Kropiunik

Special thanks to: Johannes Maile (WUK)

TONIGHTS TUNE could be developed thanks to the kind support of Culture Department of the City of Vienna (Kulturabteilung der Stadt Wien - MA7) and WUK


TONIGHTS TUNE is a score composed for 4 instruments. The performers are the musicians and the instruments at the same time. They act on according to the score. It's a concert. They play using their bodies and voices.
It's about singing physicalities and dancing voices. It's about physicality and voice tuning in with each other.

But it's also about pitch of movement,
... a rhythm of the thought,
... a timbre of emotion,
... a loudness of imagination,
... a melody of attention,
... a polyphony of different levels of perception,
... the musicality of the presence.

All in all it's about tuning... again and again.
And it's about particular tune of tonight.


Original video was made by Werner Sohajek / kulturvision
(www.kulturvision.at)

You can view TONIGHTS TUNE trailer also on YouTube under:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGrgPezj1iI

Saturday 28 November 2009

Pathos Alarm in Outer Space teaser

I'm proud to present a teaser of PATHOSBÜRO 2007 release "Pathos Alarm in Outer Space #0". It's a pilot of the Science Fiction trash video opera.
A movie was shot in Vienna during the hot summer days in the garden of one of my PATHOSBÜRO colleagues - Katherina. This teaser was released first on YouTube by mysterious LanaErosh. You can see it in better quality under:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_OffBSgCdc

PATHOSBÜRO is an artistic collective founded in 2007 in Vienna by Daniel Aschwanden and Katherina Zakravsky.



Credits:
Performers: Daniel Aschwanden, Radek Hewelt and Katherina Zakravsky
Guest performers: Sabile Rasiti, Stephanie Cumming, Katharina Meves, Anna Maria Nowak
Camera: Daniel Aschwanden, Radek Hewelt, Jack Hauser
Postproduction: Andreas Braito, Daniel Aschwanden

Friday 27 November 2009

"ICH STERBE. I'M DYING. Я умираю" by Toxic Dreams at brut/Vienna

brut presents now (25-29.11.2009) a new piece by Toxic Dreams: "ICH STERBE. I'M DYING. Я умираю". I have had a pleasure to participate in this production performing in a film (a part of the whole evening show) a role of russian student Lev Rabenek who was witnessing a death of Chekhov.

From a web-site of Toxic Dreams:

For the last installment of the Realism or Uncle Vanya we take a detour; instead of another deconstruction of the play, we tell a different story, the story of Chekhov's death. The famous writer died in 1904; since then the facts, concerning his death, are told, and told, in a way that will make him turn in his grave.

How did Chekhov die? Why can't we get a realistic description of what really happened in his death bed, in a hotel room in Germany? How come, a writer that so insisted on describing life the way it is, cannot get a proper description of his death the way it was?

The story of Chekhov's death is a Rashomon worthy of Kurosawa. The story of his death and the way it was viewed, the subjectivity of the observer, serves as ironic contra point to the so called objectivity of Chekhov's writing. What is real in the realism of Chekhov's death, and how speech can describe it is the center of the performance.

(http://www.toxicdreams.at/)


Filmcast Cezary Tomaszewski (Anton P. Tschechow), Irene Coticchio (Olga Knipper), Anna Mendelssohn (Autorin), Otmar Wagner (Doktor Schwöhrer), Radek Hewelt (Leo Rabeneck), Justin Poole (Portier)
Voiceovers
Evgeniia Lianskaya, Lena Kvadrat, Wolfgang Weitlaner, Oleg Soulimenko, Justin Poole, Samuel Machto, Olivier Brasselet
Live Cast Cezary Tomaszewski (Anton P. Tschechow), Anna Mendelssohn (Autorin)
Hausbau und Kameras
Yosi Wanunu, Otmar Wagner, Claribel Koss und Michael Strohmann
Komposition, Film- und Live Editing
Michael Strohmann
Haus
Otmar Wagner
Regieassistenz
Claribel Koss
Text und Regie
Yosi Wanunu
Produktion Kornelia Kilga


Links:
http://www.brut-wien.at/start.php?navid=detail&id=329
http://www.toxicdreams.at/
http://ongoing.nightmares.toxicdreams.at/wordpress/ich-sterbe/

Tuesday 17 November 2009

Joanny Szymajdy "TENDENCJE ESTETYCZNE WE WSPÓŁCZESNYM TAŃCU FRANCUSKIM PO 1990 ROKU"

Again in polish. I'm sorry. I'm recommending here a work by Joanna Szymajda that could be translated: The Aesthetic Tendencies in French Contemporary Dance after 1990.
It's written in polish.


Zachecam do zapoznania sie z praca Joanny Szymajdy:
"TENDENCJE ESTETYCZNE WE WSPÓŁCZESNYM TAŃCU FRANCUSKIM PO 1990 ROKU".
Cala praca zostala upubliczniona na stronie nowytaniec.pl:
http://www.nowytaniec.pl/czytelnia/Szymajda_Tendencje_estetyczne.pdf

Z wprowadzenia:

"Niniejsza praca powstała jako wynik mojej fascynacji tańcem połączonej z doświadczeniem,
jakie dane mi było zdobyć na stypendium w Uniwersytecie Lumière w Lyonie. To doświadczenie
obejmuje zarówno studia nad tańcem współczesnym, jak i uczestnictwo w Biennale de la Danse
2004 oraz recepcję kilkudziesięciu choreografii prezentowanych w Lyonie i innych miastach
Francji podczas mojego półtorarocznego pobytu w tym kraju. Ogromną rolę w zdobywaniu
materiałów odegrały również biblioteki : miejska i uniwersytecka w Lyon II,
ale przede wszystkim bogata videoteka Maison de la Danse w Lyonie -
jednej z najważniejszych instytucji we Francji promujących taniec współczesny.

[...]

Ponieważ w języku polskim nie przeprowadzono zbyt wielu badań nad estetyką tańca współczesnego
wydało mi się konieczne wprowadzenie kontekstu historycznego, gdyż bez znajomości
ewolucji tej formy tańca trudno jest zrozumieć jej obecną, nieco hybrydalną postać.
Tak więc w pierwszej części pracy obok twórców francuskich pojawią się choreografowie
amerykańscy, niemieccy i innych narodowości, którzy odegrali przełomową rolę w kształtowaniu
się form modernistycznych, postmodernistycznych i współczesnych tańca.

[...]

Drugi i trzeci rozdział poświęcone są nurtom estetycznym najnowszego tańca francuskiego od
lat dziewięćdziesiątych dwudziestego wieku, z naciskiem położonym na różnice między
pokoleniem choreografów debiutujących w latach siedemdziesiątych i najmłodszymi
przedstawicielami tej sztuki, którzy właśnie w latach dziewięćdziesiątych rozpoczynali swoje
kariery.

W rezultacie powyższy tekst ma więc charakter analityczno-syntetyczny. Wychodząc od analizy
poszczególnych spektakli tańca, starałam się bowiem wyodrębnić wspólne idee i sposoby
pojmowania istoty tańca, które prowadzą do tej niezwykłej różnorodności, jaka charakteryzuje
współczesne choreografie, różnorodności, która jest jednak pewną syntezą - jedyną możliwą w
obliczu problemu : co to jest taniec współczesny?
To prowokacyjne w swej istocie pytanie stawiają sobie artyści od początku dwudziestego wieku
a ich zróżnicowane odpowiedzi kształtują niedefiniowalną jednoznacznie naturę tańca współczesnego."

Joanna Szymajda (Polska, 1979)
Przygotowuje pracę doktorską o tendencjach estetycznych współczesnej choreografii
europejskiej na Uniwersytecie Łódzkim i Uniwersytecie Paryż III Sorbonne Nouvelle.
Ukończyła studia psychologiczne i kulturoznawcze na Uniwersytecie Łódzkim, obroniła
pracę magisterską z psychologii międzykulturowej i teatru na Uniwersytecie Lumiere
Lyon II. Publikuje teksty krytyczne i naukowe z estetyki tańca, pracuje jako moderator,
dramaturg, kurator tańca.


Joanna Szymajda (Poland, 1979)
Currently, she is preparing her PhD thesis on contemporary dance aesthetics at the
University of Łódź (Poland) and University of Paris III Sorbonne Nouvelle (France). She has
graduated from Psychology Department and Cultural Studies Department at the University
of Łódź and Intercultural-Psychology and Theatre at the University of Lyon II (France).
She is regularly publishing her theoretical and critical texts on dance. She works as
a lecturer at the University of Łódź and also as a freelance moderator, dramatist and
dance curator.


links:
http://www.nowytaniec.pl
http://www.nowytaniec.pl/czytelnia/Szymajda_Tendencje_estetyczne.pdf

Echos after Teatr Dada von Bzdulow's "Czerwona Trawa"/"Red Grass" tour

Below I publish some reviews from "Czerwona Trawa"/"Red Grass" that came during and after our tour. Unfortunately all reviews are in polish. I publish them how they are. I'll translate some of them so there should be english texts available soon.


Fragment recenzji Beaty Kalinowskiej (internetowy magazyn teatralny Teatralia) z 12.11.2009:

"Teatr Dada von Bzdülöw to mistrz w swojej kategorii. Taniec współczesny, aktorstwo, niecodzienna muzyka, swoista scenografia i emocje krążące nad tym wszystkim jak namolne owady tworzą rozpoznawalną, porządną markę. Tym razem artyści, zainspirowani francuskim pisarzem Borisem Vianem, próbują przenieść literackie gry słowne na niemą scenę. Tak. Absurdalny pomysł, ale czy takie nie intrygują najbardziej?

Mikołaja Trzaskę trzeba kochać i trzeba o tym mówić od razu. Muzyka, którą skomponował do "Czerwonej trawy" mogłaby bezkolizyjnie i nieprzerwanie trwać w odtwarzaczach. Dźwięki przenoszą nas do mieszkań naszych babć i sadzają przed pachnącymi pudrem toaletkami. Są figlarne i filuterne, arcydelikatne i przyjemne. Zostają w uszach na długo po zapadnięciu kurtyny. Trzeba za to Trzaskę kochać.

Tańczące na podświetlonej, mozaikowej podłodze postaci ociekają wolnością i erotyzmem. Mają świadomość swojej cielesności i uroku. Pięknie reżyserują gesty i wedle upodobań dodają do nich uśmiechy. Nie wypowiadają żadnych słów, unikają dosłownych sytuacji, pędzą w kierunku francuskiego surrealizmu. Czasami może tylko za szybko pędzą, albo za wolno dla odmiany. Nie martwią się niespójnością niektórych scen, nie przejmują wlepionymi w nich oczami widzów (przed tym chroni ten, wspomniany wcześniej, metaforyczny namiot - na to przynajmniej wygląda). Grają, w dużej mierzej, dla swojej przyjemności. I ta przyjemność przechodzi częściowo na publiczność."

Calosc artykulu pod adresem:
http://www.teatralia.com.pl/artykuly/listopad_2009/121109_kfwi.php




Fragment recenzji Kaśki Piwońskiej:

"Chociaż „Czerwona trawa” powstała z inspiracji książką Viana, to dalece wymyka się pojęciu inscenizacji znanemu z teatru dramatycznego. Utwór został całkowicie przystosowany do środków wyrazu, jakimi dysponuje taniec. [...] To subiektywny wybór sytuacji, które zdaniem artystów najlepiej oddają istotę Vianowskiej narracji. Według mnie jak najbardziej trafiony. [...]

Tym, co przenika relacje między wszystkimi niemal postaciami, jest erotyka. W jej krąg tancerze włączają nawet reprezentantkę publiczności, która staje się na moment obiektem adoracji dwóch bohaterów (Leszek Bzdyl, Radek Hewelt). Sfera intymności wkracza do spektaklu zrazu tylko lekko zaznaczona niby-przypadkowym splotem ciał, to znów jawna i zamierzona w pocałunkach. Dotyczy zarówno łatwo zmiennych układów damsko-męskich, jak i par tworzonych w obrębie jednej płci. Artyści ani razu nie przekraczają granicy dobrego smaku – o co łatwo, poruszając się w tej tematyce, nie silą się też na kontrowersje. Seksualność traktuje się tu jako naturalny element życia, oczywisty i niezbywalny, a zarazem podnoszący jego atrakcyjność. [...]

W spektaklu z wyczuciem dozowana jest prowokacja, nonszalancja i humor – również autoironiczny. Dystans pomiędzy aktorem a widzem zmniejsza się w skutek bezpretensjonalnych zachowań tancerzy. Ale jeszcze nie na tyle, by ktokolwiek odważył się dołączyć do tańczących – z rozmów po spektaklu wiem, że nie tylko ja miałam na to chęć. A gromkie brawa dla zespołu Dada von Bzdülöw potwierdzają, że wspólną wycieczkę po odrealnionym świecie należy uznać za udaną."

calosc pod:
http://teatrologia-umcs.blogspot.com/2009/11/esencja-viana-dada-von-bzdulow-czerwona.html


Zdjecia/Photos by Tomek Kaminski


Links:
http://www.teatralia.com.pl/artykuly/listopad_2009/121109_kfwi.php
http://teatrologia-umcs.blogspot.com/2009/11/esencja-viana-dada-von-bzdulow-czerwona.html

Sunday 15 November 2009

A tournee with "Red Grass" by Teatr Dada von Bzdulow


A polish tour with "Red Grass"/"Czerwona Trawa" by Teatr Dada von Bzdulow

Between 3-12 November we were touring the last production of Teatr Dada von Bzdulow "Red Grass" / "Czerwona trawa".


picture: Tomek Kaminski

First performances took place in Teatr Wybrzeze in Gdansk between 3-5 November.
More details on the web-site of Teatr Wybrzeze at:
http://www.teatrwybrzeze.pl/#/spektakle/czerwona-trawa
On the 8th of November we performed at the 4th Theatre Meetings OKNO in Szczecin.
More informations:
http://www.kana.art.pl/fest_okno_2009_eng.html
On the 12th of November we performed at the 13th International Dance Theatre Festival in Lublin.
More informations:
http://dancefestival.lublin.pl/index.php?page=dadavonbzdulow_en


for more info about the show look in my previous post:
http://radekhewelt.blogspot.com/2009/06/lherbe-rouge-by-dada-von-bzdulow-in.html



Links:
http://www.teatrwybrzeze.pl
http://www.kana.art.pl/fest_okno_2009_eng.html
http://dancefestival.lublin.pl/index.php?page=english-2/home
http://www.dadateatr.pl/

GOOD NIGHT & GOOD LUCK. First Vienna Dance Night.

GOOD NIGHT & GOOD LUCK. First Vienna Dance Night.

Info from web-site of TQW (http://tqw.at/en/node/31&date=10.10.2009):

Ewa Bankowska, Milli Bitterli/ artificial horizon, Andrea Bold/ Tanzverein Erdberg, Magdalena Chowaniec, Cie. Willi Dorner, Super Nase & Co., Liquid Loft and others

On 10 October the Museumsquartier is totally under the sign of the First Vienna Dance Night. The Tanzquartier and the brut Wien are curating this already internationally successful format together, and are thereby creating an annual occasion for the audience and all participants to encounter the Austrian dance and performance scene.

Pieces and sketches, installations, media compositions, performative concerts and venue-specific works, as well as a lounge in which to party and swap ideas are available for the most diverse concepts and facets of the choreographic, and in one night give an intensive and compact insight into the breadth of international dance creation in Vienna – from already created productions, to current processes, to not-yet-realised ideas. Included in this, when the spectators are encouraged as observers or participants to fight their own way through the programme landscape and move back and forth through the various venues, are: the Studios and Hall G of the Tanzquartier, Dschungel Wien, the Leopold Museum, Quartier 21 and other venues in the Museumsquartier.

In the coming year, the brut Wien will be the venue for the joint dance marathon, which is supported by the Ministry for Education, Art and Culture, and which aims to make a contribution to the further networking of the Austrian dance and performance scene.


A cooperation between the Tanzquartier Wien and the brut Wien, in cooperation with Dschungel Wien, Raum D / quartier21, Museum Leopold and the Museumsquartier. With the support of the Ministry for Education, Art and Culture.



I had a pleasure to performe in 2 pieces that night:

ANDREA BOLD / TANZVEREIN ERDBERG (A)

Gesäänge

Idea: Andrea Bold
performance: David Ender, Radek Hewelt, Martin Tomann, Cezary Tomaszewski
lighting: Edgar Aichinger
costumes: Linda Redlin

With Sang & Schmacht: the HerrenGesangsVerein surrenders to its own flannel. With devotion it submits to the inevitability with which we stage the grand business of life and death; with pleasure it tastes the fraud of its own romanticising.
This time without the fallacy of the announced pure being, what a relief.
A co-production by Andrea Bold/Tanzverein Erdberg and Brut Wien. With the support of the Cultural Department of the City of Vienna and ttp I WUK.

Biographies

Andrea Bold came to Vienna from Cologne and since then has been operating in the fields of classical piano playing, performance, choreography and motherhood.

David Ender born in Wodonga, lives in Vienna. Writer, musician, performer, translator. Does a lot.

Radek Hewelt came to Vienna from Gdansk through Bratislava, Brussels and Barcelona.
Is staying. Lives and works a lot.

Martin Tomann. Vienna.

Cezary Tomaszewski born in Warsaw, lives in Vienna. Dancer, performer, choreographer, theatre studies scholar, musician. Very talented, plus other hobbies.

Since 1999 the TANZVEREIN ERDBERG has dedicated itself to leaping, flattery, soup and other things.



EWA BANKOWSKA / DENSEGROUP (POL/A)

dancing to songs (special version)

Idea and direction: Ewa Bankowska
performance: Radek Hewelt, Amanda Piña, Ewa Bankowska
lighting: Siegfried Kern
production assistance: Rosa John
Première: brut Konzerthaus Imagetanz Festival, 4 March 2009 (Performance: Radek Hewelt, Amanda Piña, Tanja Boppart, Dominique Richards, Ewa Bankowska)

“The Polish choreographer Ewa Bankowska for example turns round the idea of what Dancing to Songs means: certainly not to make ‘a good figure’. Dancing is a physical process that does not primarily exist to fulfil some kind of taste criteria. In dancing the body lets its spirit out.” (Helmut Ploebst / Der Standard, 13.3.2009)
http://www.densegroup.blogspot.com/

A co-production by Densegroup with Imagetanz/Brut Wien. With the support of the cultural department of the city of Vienna, the Ministry for Education, Arts and Culture and Dans.Kias in the framework of a residency.

Biographies

Radek Hewelt was born in Poland in 1973. He studied dance and choreography at PARTS. He has been living and working in Vienna since 2003. He has worked as a dancer and performer with: Leszek Bzdyl, Thierry de Mey, Lynda Gaudreau, Cristian Duarte, Elio Gervasi, Sebastian Prantl, Katarzyna Kozyra, Cezary Tomaszewski, Matsune & Subal, Editta Braun, Rebecca Murgi, Pathosbüro, Andrea Bold and Ewa Bankowska. In addition he creates his own works, including: Zoom in, 21 minutes, About a boy, Close-up, Tonight’s Tune.

Amanda Piña (Vienna) was born in Chile. She studied physical theatre in Chile and contemporary dance and choreography in Barcelona, Salzburg and Montpellier, (Ex.e.r.ce, dir. Mathilde Monnier). Her works include her own choreographies, which have been performed at various festivals and stages in Europe.
As a dancer she has worked, among others, with Ewa Bankowska and DD. Dorvillier, and Human Future Dance Corps. Since 2005 she has been collaborating with the fine artist Daniel Zimmermann; together they founded Nadaproductions.

Siegfried Kern is a cabaret artist, actor and winner of the Salzburg Speaking Prize in the Scouts’ House in 2001. In addition he has proved himself as a lighting and sound designer in the works Enter and Space by Ewa Bankowska.

Ewa Bankowska (Vienna/Salzburg) was born in Poland. She completed a professional training in dance and choreography at SEAD (Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance). Since 2006 she has written her own works (Enter, Space, Dancing to Songs). In addition she works with Nadaproductions and Kabinett Ad Co. The artist’s current work will be premièred at the Tanz-House Herbst in Salzburg in November 2009.

Links:
http://tqw.at/en/node/31&date=10.10.2009
http://www.densegroup.blogspot.com/

Tuesday 14 July 2009

Echos part 2 - Gazeta Wyborcza

[...] "Zdecydowanie lepiej wypadło drugie premierowe przedstawienie festiwalu, czyli widowisko Dady von Bzdülöw "Czerwona trawa" w reżyserii Katarzyny Chmielewskiej i Leszka Bzdyla, inspirowane powieścią Borisa Viana o tym samym tytule. Jest to spektakl - w pozytywnym tego słowa znaczeniu - bezpretensjonalny, z nieśpiesznie następującymi po sobie wydarzeniami, przepełniony radosną erotyką. W "Czerwonej trawie" silnie obecna jest typowa dla Dady ironia. Nie przybiera ona jednak ostrego - jak choćby w "Opus pessimum" charakteru - jest raczej spojrzeniem z przymrużeniem oka na siebie samych, czy na teatralną relację aktor-widz (fenomenalna scena, gdy dwóch aktorów - Leszek Bzdyl i Radek Hewelt - wchodzą pomiędzy widzów, a Katarzyna Chmielewska i Ula Zerek tańczą na scenie wspólny układ). Prawdziwym odkryciem "Czerwonej trawy" jest Zerek, uzdolniona tancerka, która od paru lat konsekwentnie rozwija swoje umiejętności. W nowym przedstawieniu Dady nie odstawała od bardziej doświadczonych tancerzy: Chmielewskiej, Bzdyla czy Hewelta. Udanie także zadebiutowała na profesjonalnej scenie Tatiana Kamienicka. Ważny element przedstawienia stanowiła doskonała, momentami sentymentalnie "trącąca myszką" muzyka Mikołaja Trzaski, udanie przeplatająca motywy jazzowe z wpadającą w ucho elektroniką." [...]

by Miroslaw Baran (Gazeta Wyborcza)

Link to the whole review:
http://miasta.gazeta.pl/trojmiasto/1,35611,6817801,Podsumowanie_Festiwalu_Wybrzeze_Sztuki.html

Echos after "Czerwona Trawa" in Teatr Wybrzeze

English version:

[...] "Czerwona Trawa" ("L'Herb Rouge") by Theatre Dada von Bzdulow is a third tryout of Dada to vie with a prose of Boris Vian - spiritual patron of this company. The dancers of Dada performing in typical for this theatre aestetics - colorful lights, presence of props (this time there were oblong green hots filled out with water and the hairdryers on the stands), great pulsing music (Mikolaj Trzaska) - shifted the motives from Vian's work to the language of dance. And exactly diverse dance of those 5 dancers (except of Bzdyl and Chmielewska also Radek Hewelt, Ula Zerek and Tatiana Kamieniecka) - allows to name this performance one of the most interesting events in festival Wybrzeze Sztuki.

Intriguing performance (a combination of different dance sequences, solos and duets) and dance of skillfully incorporated to Leszek Bzdyl's theatre debutante Tatiana Kamieniecka, gave an effect of interesting - close to Vian's prose - show; a show that is full of surprising turns of action and treats innovatively subjects of love, youth, life and death." [...]

by Lukasz Rudzinski (www.trojmiasto.pl)



Wersja polska (oryginalna):

[...] "Czerwona trawa" Teatru Dada von Bzdülöw to trzecia próba zmierzenia się z prozą Borisa Viana, duchowego patrona tego teatru. Tancerze Dady tańcząc w charakterystycznej dla teatru scenerii - naświetlenie scen kolorowymi światłem, obecność nietypowych rekwizytów (tym razem były to podłużne zielone termofory wypełnione wodą i fryzjerskie suszarki na stojaku), świetna pulsacyjna muzyka (Mikołaj Trzaska) - przenieśli motywy z twórczości Viana na język tańca. I właśnie różnorodny taniec pięciu tancerzy (oprócz Bzdyla i Chmielewskiej to Radek Hewelt, Ula Zerek i Tatiana Kamieniecka) - pozwala nazwać ten spektakl jednym z najciekawszych wydarzeń Wybrzeża Sztuki.

Intrygujące wykonanie (połączenie różnych sekwencji tanecznych, solowych i w duetach) i taniec umiejętnie wkomponowanej do teatru Leszka Bzdyla debiutantki, Tatiany Kamienieckiej, dało efekt w postaci ciekawego, bliskiego prozie Viana spektaklu, pełnego zaskakujących zwrotów akcji i nowatorskiego potraktowania tematów miłości, młodości, życia, czy śmierci. [...]"

by Lukasz Rudzinski (www.trojmiasto.pl)

Link to the whole article:
http://kultura.trojmiasto.pl/Wybrzeze-Sztuki-pelne-sztuki-z-importu-n33736.html

Saturday 27 June 2009

"Red Grass"/"Czerwona Trawa" by Dada von Bzdulow in Teatr Wybrzeze in Gdansk


"Red Grass" / "Czerwona Trawa" by Dada von Bzdulow in Teatr Wybrzeze in Gdansk

Premiere: 11.07.2009
Further performance: 12.07.2009
Location: Malarnia/Teatr Wybrzeze in Gdansk

Direction: Leszek Bzdyl, Katarzyna Chmielewska
Performing: Katarzyna Chmielewska, Tatiana Kamieniecka, Ula Zerek, Leszek Bzdyl, Radek Hewelt
Music: Mikolaj Trzaska
Scenography & Costumes: Maciej Chojnacki
Video: Kamila Chomicz



From the web-site of Teatr Wybrzeze (translation):

Boris Vian, one of the soul fathers of Teatr Dada von Bzdulow, comes back in the next project of a group. In its 16-years long history Teatr Dada had already twice created the works inspired by this french writer: Wyrywacz serc, czyli balia hańby and Łapiti kontra reszta świata.

In Czerwona trawa Teatr Dada von Bzdulow meets again a prose of Boris Vian. Multidimensional language of dance theatre is a good starting point for a creative tryout of interpretation of Vian's writings in which he vies with subjects like life, youth, senility, love and death.

Katarzyna Chmielewska about Czerwona Trawa: After reading any of Boris Vian's novels the reality isn't the same any more. His surreal visions are so tempting and opening that one would love to stay and live in them irrespective of their bitterness and undefinable sadness. To be a dog Senator who lucks just Łapiti to be fully happy. To be like Lil who has two specially trained dumbledores for manicure-making. To dance to a hit of Duke Ellington.

Leszek Bzdyl about Czerwona Trawa: 1 - it's a book of my life (I read it for the first time in the age of 22 and since then I have been identifying myself with a character of Wolf what has undoubtedly influenced my relation to the world for the next 22 years). 2 - if one loves something one goes blind and looses a distance to it. 3 - we are dancing, not talking. The whole charm of Vian's prose is in its language. Therefore we have to find similar seductiveness in the movement. 4 - we have to start from what is written upon and then to flee to make autonomous, coming true in itself performance.

A premiere of performance of Teatr Dada von Bzdulow will take place in the frame of a 2nd edition of Festiwal Wybrzeże Sztuki.



Wersja oryginalna:

Boris Vian, jeden z duchowych ojców Teatru Dada von Bzdülöw wraca w kolejnej realizacji zespołu. W swojej szesnastoletniej historii Teatr Dada już dwukrotnie inspirował się literacką spuścizną francuskiego pisarza tworząc widowiska o tytułach: Wyrywacz serc, czyli balia hańby oraz Łapiti kontra reszta świata.


Czerwona Trawa to kolejne spotkania Teatru Dada z Borysem Vianem. Wielowymiarowy język teatru tańca stanowi świetny punkt wyjścia do twórczej próby interpretacji pisarstwa artysty, który w tak niezwykły i niebanalny sposób mierzy się z życiem, młodością, starością, miłością i śmiercią.

Katarzyna Chmielewska o Czerwonej trawie: Po przeczytaniu jakiejkolwiek książki Borisa Viana rzeczywistość nie jest już taka sama. Jego surrealistyczna wizja jest tak pociągająca i otwierająca, że chciałoby się w niej przebywać i trwać, pomimo goryczy i bliżej nieokreślonego smutku. Być jak pies Senator, któremu do pełni szczęścia brakuje tylko Łapiti, albo jak Lil która posiada dwa specjalnie tresowane chrabąszcze do robienia manicure, albo tańczyć hit Diuka Ellingtona pt. „przeleć mnie”.

Leszek Bzdyl o Czerwonej trawie: 1 - to książka mojego życia (przeczytałem ją po raz pierwszy mając 22 lata i jakoś utożsamiłem się z Wolfem, co wpłynęło zapewne na mój stosunek do świata przez kolejne 22 lata) 2 - jak się coś zbyt mocno kocha, to się ślepnie i traci dystans 3 - my tańczymy a nie mówimy, a przecież cały urok Viana w języku, więc musimy znaleźć podobny urok w ruchu 4 - z tego co powyżej musimy zacząć z Vianem, a potem przed nim czmychnąć, by zrobić autonomiczne, spełniające się samo w sobie przedstawienie.

Premiera spektaklu Teatru Dada von Bzdülöw odbędzie się w ramach II edycji Festiwalu Wybrzeże Sztuki.



Link:
http://www.teatrwybrzeze.pl/spektakl.xml?t=Czerwona%20trawa%20(Festiwal%20Wybrze%C5%BCe%20Sztuki)&id=68


Festiwal Wybrzeze Sztuki:
http://www.teatrwybrzeze.pl/324.xml
http://www.e-teatr.pl/pl/artykuly/75170.html

Teatr Dada von Bzdulow:
http://www.dadateatr.pl/

Artsitic Residency with Dada von Bzdulow in Burdag/Poland

Artistic Residency in Burdag with Dada von Bzdulow

Between 21-27 together with Leszek Bzdyl, Kasia Chmielewska, Ula Zerek and Tatiana Kamieniecka (Teatr Dada von Bzdulow) I enjoyed the process of creation on "L'Herbe rouge" ("Czerwona Trawa"). A project is based on the book of Boris Vian under the same title. Premiere will take place on July 11th in Malarnia - Teatr Wybrzeze in Gdansk/Poland.


Direction: Leszek Bzdyl, Katarzyna Chmielewska

Performing: Katarzyna Chmielewska, Tatiana Kamieniecka, Ula Zerek, Radek Hewelt, Leszek Bzdyl

Scenography & Costumes: Maciej Chojnacki

Music: Mikołaj Trzaska

Video: Kamila Chomicz






Links:
http://www.burdagstudio.com/
http://www.dadateatr.pl/

Pokolenie solo?

Pokolenie solo? - Joanna Szymajda

"...Pokolenie solo/freelancerowców czasami świadomie i z determinacją wybiera pracę za granicą (Magdalena Reiter – Słowenia, Helena Gołąb – Hiszpania), gdzie formują się niekiedy mikrospołeczności (w Wiedniu: Radek Hewelt, Cezary Tomaszewski, Ewa Bańkowska, Magdalena Chowaniec)..."

Caly artykul:
http://www.kongreskultury.pl/title,Kalendarium,pid,23,oid,21,cid,90.html

Monday 1 June 2009

PREMIERE OF "TONIGHTS TUNE"


TONIGHTS TUNE
will have its
premiere on Tuesday 2 of June (further performances 3 and 4 of June) at 8 p.m
at WUK in Vienna.

Artistic leading: Radek Hewelt
Choreography/Performance: Gabri M. Einsiedl, Dominik Grünbühel, Radek Hewelt, Linda Samaraweerova

For more information click on the picture below to enlarge!
Or go to: www.wuk.at


Thursday 30 April 2009

BURGENLÄNDISCHE TANZTAGE


On 2nd of May we're going to present with Anna Nowak the results of our residency in Pinkafeld (D.ID - Dance Identity) that took place between 1-21 of February 2009.
It took finally a form of a performance.
It'll be presented in OHO in Oberwart within the programme of
BURGENLÄNDISCHE TANZTAGE festival.


































More informations about our project are published on this blog in posts from February'09.

For more details about festival click on attached pictures to enlarge them.



OHO - Offenes Haus Oberwart

7400 Oberwart, Lisztgasse 12, Tel 03352/38555, Fax 03352/38555-22, office@oho.at

"Tonights tune" in progress...


Tonight tune
is a score composed for 4 instruments.
The performers are the musicians and the instruments at the same time.
They act on according to the score.
It’s a concert.
They play using their bodies and voices.
It’s about singing physicalities and dancing voices.
It’s about physicality and voice tuning in with each other.


But it is also about the pitch of movement,
…a rhythm of the thought,
…a timbre of emotion,
…a the loudness of imagination,
…a melody of attention,
…a polyphony of different levels of perception,
…the musicality of the presence.

All in all it’s about tuning… again and again.
And it’s about particular tune of tonight.

The premiere will take place in WUK on 2nd of June. Further performances: 3, 4 June

Wednesday 29 April 2009

Pathos alarm in outer space


On Saturday and Sunday we had a presentation of our new movie: "Pathos Alarm. In space nobody can hear you sing".
It's a second episode of our science-fiction sequel happening in the outer space.
The premiere was spiced up by life performance.
The audience could see as well first part of "Pathos Alarm" (pilot episode) that had a premiere in 2008.






Exerpts of the review/analisys of our event by Helmut Ploebst:

"Aliens im PeinlichkeitsraumPrint

WIE DAS PATHOSBÜRO UND DIE BORN-TO-SIT-COMPANY AUS WIEN DAS OSTERMAYERSCHE ECHO ERKLÄREN

Von Helmut Ploebst


Weltpremiere des Films „Pathosalarm in Outer Space #1“ (Ö 2008) im Filmhaus Wien. Nach der spektakulären Veröffentlichung des Pilotfilms „Pathosalarm in Outer Space #0“ (Ö 2007) mit Katherina Zakravsky in der weiblichen Hauptrolle setzt das Wiener Pathosbüro nun mit einem Sequel nach, gegen das „Matrix Reloaded“ sich als, wie es im Österreichischen heißt, bloßer Lercherlschas [dt.: vernachlässigbare Flatulenz einer Lerche] ausnimmt.

Die Welt ist seither nicht mehr dieselbe. Und wieder geht das Virus einer großen Veränderung der Zeitläufte von Wien aus. Von jener Stadt also, in der das Wort „Diskurs“ immer kleiner geschrieben und in neuerer Zeit zunehmend mit einer flachen runden Scheibe verwechselt wird. Das diskurswerfen [sic!] ist eine intellektuelle Wiener Sportart, die durchaus den Rang eines Booms einnimmt. Sie zeichnet sich durch eine Bogenhaftigkeit aus, die den Ausgangsimpuls stets zu seiner Quelle zurückleitet („boomerang discourse“). Diese Bogenhaftigkeit wirkt wie eine Antwort auf Slavoj Zizeks „Parallaxe“: Aus der Rückbeugung des Wurfs entstehen gekrümmte Subperspektiven, in deren Dazwischen ein Möglichkeitsraum entsteht, der allgemein als Peinlichkeitsvolumen identifiziert werden kann."

The whole article in corpusweb.net.

Link to the article:

http://www.corpusweb.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1184&Itemid=35

Sunday 19 April 2009

Some impressions from the process on "Tonights Tune"

Gabri:









Linda:









Dominik:









and Radek:

Artistic research with Mathilde Monnier in TQW

I'm going to participate in an artistic research with Mathilde Monnier. The workshop take place between 20-25 April in Tanzquartier Wien. It's a part of Insel No. 8 curated by Katrin Roschangar and Mathilde Monnier. On Friday 24th April at 5 p.m. there will be an open lab for public.

"In the open lab of the artistic research Copied by Mathilde Monnier interested spectators can inform themselves about the results and discoveries of the participants. In her five-day workshop, in place of the master Monnier places pictures, recollections or videos at the centre and uses these materials as the starting point to explore thematic complexes such as copying, re-enactment or plagiarism. The medium becomes the master. The participants attempt to approach the originals meaning of the original and so achieve a reinterpretation."



About research:

"Mathilde Monnier’s project Copied oscillates between workshop and artistic research and explores the thematic complex of copy, re-enactment, collage, reinterpretation and plagiarism. Together with her the participants gather choreographic excerpts, which are subject to a process of (re-)interpretation and which serve as the starting material for joint analysis of reproduction, interpretation, reworking and quotation: how can this material be re-used and how is it to be understood in its original meaning? Then the attempt will be made to create various versions of readings and to transform this into action, into representation. In the process, the concept of the master will be consciously dispensed with and instead tools such as memories, pictures and videos will be drawn on."



More informations under:
http://www.tqw.at/Content.Node/en/stage/repertoire/stage_detail_e.php?ver_id=1189
http://www.tqw.at/Content.Node/en/professionals/arrangements/professionals_detail.php?ver_id=1212

The Premiere of "Pathosalarm. In space nobody can hear you sing"


After a success of their first movie (pilot epizode) Pathosbüro will present new epizode "Pathosalarm. In space nobody can hear you sing". A premiere will take place on Saturday April 25th in Filmhauskino in Vienna. We'll also present a live-gala-performance and our first film "Pathosalarm. There is no change in space".



PATHOSBÜRO (Daniel Aschwanden/Andreas Braito/Radek Hewelt/Amanda Pina/Cezary Tomaszewski/Katherina Zakravsky/Brano Spacek)

PRESENTS:

EXTENDED CINEMA EVENT (a.o. premiere of new movie by Pathosbuero) WITH LIVE-PERFORMANCE

When: 25th and 26th April 2009





Programme of the evenings:
20.30 Pathosalarm Episode 1 (Premiere)
21.30 live Performance
22.00 Pathosalarm Pilot Episode

„PATHOSALARM IN OUTER SPACE“ Der Pilotfilm.
Entstand in sehr privater Atmosphäre in einem Privatgarten im Hochsommer 2007. Lehnt sich an die Weltraumabenteuer von „Raumschiff Enterprise“ an, Captain Kirk hat als Pappavatar sogar einen Gastauftritt. Drei unerschrockene Raumfahrer (Aschwanden, Hewelt und Zakravsky) geraten in die Fänge eines sinistren kugelförmigen Alien (dem letzten der Parmenidesianer), der die Erdlinge mit Halluzinationen, u.a. von Unterwasserballettschönheitenim Stile von Esther Williams, verwirrt. Sie warten ebenso heroisch wie erfolglos darauf, aufs Mutterschiff zurückgebeamed zu werden. Schließlich aber diskutieren sie im Plasmapool der Illusion die Frage des vollkommenen, sphärischen Seins, mit dem frei nach Parmenides alle Bewegung und somit auch jede weitere Erforschung des Weltraums endet.

In der Episode 1, gedreht auf dem Arsenalgelände in Wien, werden frei nach einer Kurzgeschichte von Philip K. Dick fünf „Einheiten“ (Aschwanden, Hewelt, Pina, Tomaschewski und Zakravsky) verfrüht aus dem kryonischen Schlaf geweckt. Sie erwachen zu einer Mission ohne ihr Programm zu kennen. Sie belauern einander misstrauisch ohne über ihre jeweilige organische oder künstliche Beschaffenheit bescheid zu wissen. Die Erkundung des Geländes gestaltet sich mühsam und fruchtlos. Der einzige lebende Bewohner ist ein schwer verständlicher Hühnermensch. Während die einen in die fruchtlose Verehrung eines Schlotes als Gottheit verfallen, andere ein dysfunktionales Entertainmentprogramm des aufmunternden Gesangs aktivieren, versucht der Rest erfolglos die Fluchtmit einem alten Vehikel.
Doch der Planet ist eine unsichtbare Festung.

Friday 3 April 2009

New production TONIGHTS TUNE starts now!


From today together with Gabri M. Einsiedl, Dominik Grünbühel and Linda Samaraweerova I start to work on the new production.
The working title is TONIGHTS TUNE.
It'll be presented at WUK (Vienna) between 2-4 June 2009.
Every some time I'm going to publish the updates from our process.

Artistic direction: Radek Hewelt
Choreography and performance: Gabri M. Einsiedl, Dominik Grünbühel, Linda Samaraweerova, Radek Hewelt

Support: Kulturabteilung der Stadt Wien (MA7), WUK








TONIGHTS TUNE (working title) is going to concentrate on the relation between physicality and voice. What concerns this project in particular is a point where they both meet. It’s in the way the continuation of one of the aspects that were present in my last piece “Close-up” where in some point we connected quite abstract body forms with all sorts of verbal sounds that were related to breathing. All those sounds, together with choreography, created interesting emotional paths and tensions. In this new project I’d like to extend and enrich both: physicality and voice.

In this work we’re going to circulate around few topics:

Dance influence on the voice.
Each body can be seen as a particular music instrument. Our genetic abilities, physicality, forms we make, tensions have obviously an impact on our voice. We want to experiment with different forms and physical tasks and see how they affect and modulate the voice. Part of the material and the artistic output should come out of this research.

Voice influence on the physicality.
It’s an opposite process to the one I described above. The starting point in this case is the voice that leads to the dance. For instance singing very high tones creates very interesting physical patterns in the body that can be use as an input for dance/choreography.

Deconstruction of the material and puzzling the elements.
I’ve made once experiment while watching the movie. I watched quite emotional scene where the actor was slowly executing very physical task. Then I did it again with the sound turned off. Third time I put my own sound on it. The result was very intriguing and interesting. It changed the way of perceiving the scene. In new project I want to use similar method with the material we create. I can see it in quite a big range as the process of extracting the elements and juxtaposing them with each other in different relations. It leads to the next point that I describe below.

Abstraction and concreteness, abstraction and emotionality (Contrast).
The dance understood as making forms in time very often stays in the abstraction (or eventually brings some emotional output). The voice is much more related to concreteness and rather clear emotionality. In this work I’d like to achieve at the end a specific tension between those two. I’d like to create some kind of vibrating stream that would be open for interpretation or reading, a stream that would contain abstraction, concreteness and emotionality – and all those elements being in ongoing interaction.

Strong focus on musicality.
The artistic output of our work will be rich with different musical elements like sounds, rhythms, melodies and songs. I’d like to work with four dancers (including myself). Each of us can be considered as a different unique instrument. The aim is creating a performance that could be described as physical and musical concert.

BART supported by Valie Export in Tanzquartier Wien

You're very welcome to look at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7Eobbjt6io

It's a video that I prepared with cooperation with BART's members and supporters for Valie Export charity event in Tanquartier Wien. All the money from selling her scissors sculptures will donate BART - an association iniciated by emerging, Vienna-based aritsts working in the field of contemporary dance and performance. BART functions as a platform to support artistic dialogue and exchange. It strives to improve the cultural, political and economic conditions for the moving young dance/performance community. It also aims to carry further the constructive collaboration with organizers, curators and sponsors.
BART rethink models for distribution of resources and knowledge and is dedicated to promoting the support and visibility of the emerging Vienna-based artists.
The event took place on March 31st in Tanzquartier Wien

Video: Radek Hewelt
Soundtrack: Andrea Maurer
Participants: Members and supporters of BART

Links:
http://www.valieexport.com
http://www.tqw.at/Content.Node/de/buehne/open-up-kommunikation-valie-export.php

Friday 20 February 2009

After a SCENARIO











Scenario 1 seemed to work. Very interesting experience. A piece that came from process but is not about a process... although it's nothing more than our process and meeting.
We will show it between 1-3 May in Oberwart/Austria in OHO. If somebody is going to be around at that time feel very welcome to come and see us!

Thursday 19 February 2009

a SCENARIO










Our last 2,5 weeks in Pinkafeld seems to be very fruitful. I don't want now to conclude this period because it's not over yet. But just shortly... we discovered new for us methods of working, we observed ourselves in creative process, we found some interesting ways of communicating, we feel that we enriched our artistic language, we found some new choreographic tools... But on top of all we tried to stay open till the last moment of residency (and still try)... what was not so easy because we couldn't ignore the fact that our research has to and will be presented in some form in the theatre.

Tomorrow we would like to try one strategy of "stage summary".
We call it SCENARIO.
Tomorrow SCENARIO 1.

The past (our Pinkafeldish experiences in particular) is in us. We want to bring it to the presence. These realities will mix in "now". We want to free our LITTLE SCIENTISTS, the active and passive observers in one... They will execute the scenario we prepare before the presentation. They will also observe themselves in "now".
A scenario will be a holly structure. After articulating it no changes are possible.
A scenario will consist of situations and themes we've worked on for the last 2,5 weeks.
We will execute the scenario as if it was already presented... in another words as if it is ready and already performed piece.

Wish us good luck!

Monday 16 February 2009

How to present the identity?


Two people... different by definition...
woman and man... one space which they share... the same working and out-of-working hours... cooking together... time between work and out-of-work not clear really... in general some kind of synchronicity.

(Maybe our unison and all the thoughts around are actually not a coincidence or an expression of the moment - it's just a side thought though.)

All things happen through doing and tuning. Anna sings in the kitchen... I write but in the same time hear her singing. The song that we use in the studio changes constantly through the context that changes around... We don't have a clear theme. Actually all our interests meet in doing, reflecting, again doing and again reflecting. In one minute things will be different. They might be richer but they might also form the past which we want to forget... Because again the circumstances changed.

And in the same time we would like to create something that we could present, something almost timeless... but parallelly a core of our meeting. It's not a chaotic meeting or chaotic process. It's in fact very well tuned. But all conventional tools of representation seems to fail... We don't have enough time to create a spectacle, we don't want to make a lecture, we don't really want to improvise on what we worked... How to find a glue? Or... do we have to find a glue? But if we don't have a glue things might seems to be not connected...

My brain looks for clarity, for a ground... I want it now! It's very impatient.
But in the same time I don't want to close the possibilities... I'm staying close and open... in between stability and unstability... Our process or rather creation stays in between stability and unstability. It's precious but fragile... how far to trust this unstability? It's also a quality in fact... But then how to present the unstability or rather fragility? How to present in one frame the things that are becoming in the moment but are strongly related to what was?

.............

The creature that exists already for a while... it has a past, it has its own habits, it has some ways of communicating. The creature is unique. It has its own particular movement of eyebrows. It likes specific perfume. It has a small tick in one of the fingers. It has its own way of articulating the words... emotional and behavioral patterns of dealing with other creatures... specific way of seeing the world... It has its own identity. The identity is visible in everything the creature does. Now... how to present this creature? Does it need any extra context?

Friday 13 February 2009

Still on unison - now from Anna

Dear Radek,

Yes, I agree – a unison takes away our individuality, too some extent at least. Synchronization decides for us. It is an old fashioned idea – two (or more) dancers moving together, a mere effect. What do we perceive when we watch a perfect unison dance? Virtuosity, harmony, symmetry, strength, logic, order? Maybe…

Unison can be (let me sound a bit sentimental, old fashioned and pretentious) joy of sharing the same experience, it can give you a place of belonging, ground under your feet. A structure you can leave and than go back to. Don’t other people and their presence give us a background, a context, against which we can define ourselves? I hear you asking me : yeah, but, not necessarily in unison… And your are probably right. Unison is not a necessity, it is an interesting possibility. Synchronization of movement and its meaning is a challenging task. Especially after all the bad fame it received in the recent history of choreography.

I believe there is a way to be truly with someone without abandoning yourself. Integration comes from differentiation, not from unity. In our duet we can become “wholeness” , at the same time strongly individual, only if we are completely sure of what we are doing, only if we stay specific and unique. A kind of paradox? Am I making any sense? I know what I wanna say, kind of… Probably I was cleaning too much and got high on chemicals…

Thursday 12 February 2009

Thursday


Anna and Radek do the unison... They try to synchronize intensions, movements, emotions, breathing, speaking, singing, focusing... utopian and impossible task because one could always go deeper and deeper into unison... seems there would never be a bottom. But they try to go quite deep and they realize more and more how utopian they are...

I want to become you...

When they are trying to become the unison they are loosing partly their own qualities and identities sacrificing them for uniformity. Big percentage of Anna's and Radek's attention goes to the partner. In a way they are loosing their special features, their uniqueness...
They are reducing themselves as well. More and more in time... more they want to be the same - the perfect unison - more they have to simplify.... reduce their functions, personal patterns, etc.
So they objectify themselves... they can become each other in reduction...

But is reduced Anna still Anna? Is minimalized Radek still Radek?