To add a conclusion to this multifaceted page, here are the elements that have made a strong impression on me and that I have implemented in my own project so far, and some other elements I would like to add to my future projects.
- Multidisciplinarity - a number of disciplines, cooperating in a symbiosis for the creation of something bigger. (In Inseparable - dance, music and light)
- An inseparability - creating a unity of the art forms, used in a piece, such that they complete and buid upon each other. (In Inseparable - the musicians and dancers being involved in each other's disciplines)
- Audience participation - (In Inseparable - the performers beginning the piece from the foyer, amongst the audience; letting the audience leave their mobile phones on (REFER TO THIS MOMENT IN THE SECOND PAGE - SPECIAL MOMENTS such as lady's phone ringing while I was talking OR AUDEINCE FEEDBACK)
What I would like to do/add or develop further:
- Experience working with more art disciplines, such as costume/set/light design, sound and/or art installations, annimation and film, circus performance art, theatre and of course more dance and new music genres.
- Storyline - using an existing inspiration source. Working with interpretation and the achieving of a clear and grasping message. (In Inseparable I created the storyline myself, which was a challenge I would like to face once again and see how I can make it better.)
- To make audience participation even stronger, I want to experiment with the element of co-creation of (a part of) the piece or else, leavnig a part of the performance open to audience input.
- Bringing people together and fascilitating openminded communication, understanding, the sharing of experiences, joy and freedom. The creation of a safe space for the audience to open up to strangers can be a big task. It is also an element that can be liberating, if done right. I want to use that element where suitable, to elevate the experience of a piece.
On this page I have gathered examples of productions I have seen through the past years and that have left a strong impression on me. They are a source of ideas, inspiration, admiration and a symbol of bravery and daring creation for me. The impact those performances have left me with is the one I search for in my own creative path. The journey is long and the leaning space - vast. The feeling of growth and meaning is what I am after.
Audience participation
The Zamenhof Project impressed me on many levels. The size of the production; the multiple abilities of the performers - acting, dancing, singing; solos, ensemble scenes, the use of speech and a band, playing music composed for the occasion; establishing contact with and managing an entire audience to obey commands; and much more.
The focus in the room was high. There were numerous elements used besides the performative ones - a wide number of languages, codes and signals; light design and installations to be climbed on; unusual costumes with various fabrics and elements.
Here is the introduction to the piece from Bielski’s website:
"It's a project inspired by the ideas and the life of a linguistic genius Ludwik Zamenhof. In this large-scale interdisciplinary piece Bielski constructs a world which surprises, challenges and confuses. His work, praised by the public and the press, in unconventional, limitless and deliberately outside any boxes. The international cast, consisting of actors, musicians and dancers who between them speak seven languages, involves the audience in an exploration of communication (or miscommunication) and language. An event in which music and visual elements such as theatre, contemporary dance, installation, video, set design, costumes and light are completely integrated. The traditional separation of stage and audience also becomes blurred."
The audience participation was something that left the brightest mark in that show for me. We were asked to change our seats for a new perspective in the middle of the show. We got split into groups, according to numerous types of physical features (at a certain point you lost the trace of where you belong to). As the audience was split into three parts and situated in the shape of a triangle, we were asked to face the wall, wave flags, obey commands, speak out slogans, do physical activities and were even shouted at if not following the commands. A separation in the group was created so fast that one could easily associate the happening with world scale events. I tried imagining the reactions of the different personalities in the room. This was a safe, yet highly provoking social experiment both for the performers, as well as for the audience. About a dozen human principles and tendencies were demonstrated and questioned during the performance.
The point of the show – unity and separation through or beyond (mis)communication became not only understood but also embodied by the audience's experience. Not only audience engagement but audience participation was key to challenging people to experience what the artists were sharing. This element I discovered, made a performance into an impactful and memorable experience. This feeling is something I want my audience to leave the theatre with as well.
Audience participation was an element in Inseparable, which was certainly not as physically engaging as in the above mentioned play but was meant to trigger the audience and provoke thoughts or even interaction with the performers.
Inseparability
Freedom is once again a cross-disciplinary performance and this time the crossing part was even stronger than what I had seen before.
This is (part of) the introduction the website of NITE as of 26.02.2024:
"The always striking dancers of Club Guy & Roni and percussionists of Slagwerk den Haag reclaim the freedom unjustly taken from Mohamedou with an energetic 'in-your-face performance, where boundaries between dance, music, set and instruments blur. Together, they manage to create a polyphonic narrative where Guy Weizman's maximalistic approach returns in an associative , gripping performance that unddoubtedly will provoke dialogue.
The starting point for the dance performance Freedom is the story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who was unjustly detained for 14 years in Guantanamo Bay, where he was interrogated and tortured. (...) Ould Slahi, as a writer, advocates for a world where freedom is an inherent right and forgiveness is a core value. Mohamedou writes the original text for the performance as a 'writer in residence'at NITE for the 21-22 season."
The main impact FREEDOM had on me was seeing the four percussionists (making the music live acoustically, with the use of electronics and pre-recorded tapes), being an interlocking part of the choreography throughout the entire performance. There was no separation between dancers and musicians in their presence on the stage, just as promised. Everybody was a performing piece of the storytelling by the entirety of the cast. Everyone was part of the choreography and an embodiment of the music. This inseparability of the artists struck a chord in me.
That was a definite element I want to embed in the performances I make.
Co-creative multidisciplinary participatory nightlife experience
Cited from the website of The Circle of Truth as of 26.02.2024: "Inspired by the Faustus story of Thomas Mann, The Circle of Truth employs a revolutionary combination of theatre, art, nightlife, and digital culture to delve into our complex relationship with the truth. In this 2.5-hour interdisciplinary mindfuck, the devil himself assists you in stepping out of your comfortable social bubble to perceive the truth from a fresh perspective. The show spans across our 3000m2 warehouse at the NDSM, taking visitors on a captivating journey through interactive installations and performances by diverse local cultural pioneers."
The Circle of Truth is actually a performance I took a very small part in. The main composition was made by Nicholas Thayer - a composer, artist, musician and maker, mostly busy with electronic music creation, who happened to be a teacher in the conservatory I was studying in. He approached me for a one hour recording session for a project he was working on. I ended up recording most of the acoustic percussion samples he later on used in his final track.
Back in the studio I had absolutely no idea what my playing was going to be used for. I won't attempt explaining the experience, as that would take a few pages on its own but will only mention the major events that made this a somewhat shocking, eye opening, inspiring, confusing and profound experience:
- Audience participation - once again but this time on a much larger scale. The performance took place in an entire industrial building (NDSM). The audience was taken through its rooms on a two and half hour performance-filled tour. We were experiencing multiple stories that were being created for, with and by us. Each group would unknowingly see a slightly different story to the other, which made the discussions in the end (they facilitated plenty of communication between the audience groups that were formed) wildly fascinating and profoundly confusing.
- The possibility and organisation of such a large scale performance was something that staggered me. The combination was of electronic dance music, contemporary dance, theatre, a journey through an unfamiliar building, being blindfolded, led through a room, and adding nightlife queer elements to the mix, culminating in an electronic night club dance party. This mixture was perfectly synchronised and orchestrated to function simultaneously in a huge building with a few hundred people involved.
- The story was a melting pot of philosophy, satire, poetry, life experiences and many more, told through a contemporary underground reality's eyeglass.
- The real goal – creating connection and mutual understanding. Experiencing somebody else's story and being challenged to see beyond one's appearance or behaviour.
This project impressed me and I believe has a connection to “Inseparable” in that so many disciplines were interconnected. The storytelling and the hidden underline of presenting the three audiences with three slightly different scenarios was successful and indeed confusing. I loved that feeling of having been fooled.I believe we managed implementing this element of the audience being fooled in the very opening of Inseparable.ce or behaviour.
A seed to grow; a first contact with the collaborative cross-arts form.
"Snow in June" is a contemporary interdisciplinary dance and music performance. It was the first one of that kind that I saw. It was performed back in 2015 - two years before I moved to the Netherlands for my studies.
The music was composed especially for the occasion by Tan Dun and a number of pieces were added by Iannis Xenakis. The musical performance was by a percussion quartet - The Youth Percussion Pool, together with the artistic leader Tatiana Koleva and a cellist - Jacob Koranyi, accompanying a group of eight contemporary dancers.
The musical language and sound worlds were completely new for me. They ranged from very active and pulse-driven to abstract soundscapes, atonal melodies and silence.
As of 26.02.2024 the concept of the show was described in Dutch (translated to English for the research) on Leine Roebana’s website as follows:
"The world according to Tan Dun through the eyes of LeineRoebana. A world in which the animated landscape forms the backdrop for 'a journey of the soul', where humans and nature, fire and water, become unbalanced.
Snow in June is overwhelming at one moment, subtle and concentrated the next. The performance lets you experience how rich silence can be, how music never lets silence disappear, and how in a stationary dancer, the movement continues."
I take this moment in time as the seed that was planted to grow later on.