In my performances I’m working more or less exclusively on the basis of the Open Improvisation with dance, dance theatre and voice. That means, that there is nothing fixed - no structure or theme - except the length of the performance, the location and the persons involved. Nevertheless the goal is to create a composition in collaboration with all the other partners (dancers, musicians, light designers) out of the very moment - as peculiar, complex and diverse as it’s only possible with an improvised approach.
The preparation for such a performance is aiming to create connections between the artists involved and to differentiate the improvisation language for this constellation and these circumstances. And generally also to work on the capacity of being present, to trust your own intuition and improving the ability to act spontaneously as well as to build and understand the instant composition. Things happening by accident - as called synchronicities - are a main part of this work besides the interacting of being radical and cooperative and finding the balance between doing and listening.
The most important thing for me while performing is to create space for the magic, the unexpected, the communication, authenticity, tenderness and wildness. Things happening in the performance should be connected to our very concrete reality and at the same time go beyond the individuality and our collective mind into something much more ephemeral and according to a superior order.
A big challenge in working with open improvisation is to find theatres where you can show your work and where there is an openness to perceive improvisation as something still relevant. On the background of today’s contemporary dance (based a lot on conceptuality and multimedia and where there is often a lack of dance in it) open improvisation may be considered by many as an anachronistic art form. But there is still this huge joy and desire in me to see and to experience the moving body and I’m working hard to keep improvisation as an art work that can touch the audience on a deeper level. And that goes fare beyond the normal use of improvisation to find new material for a set piece or this quite well known state of any-thing-goes.
My partners for cooperation are coming from Switzerland and from al over Europe. There is a very fascinating and vivid network of improvisers connecting all the continents offering support and many opportunities to create art work on a improvised base.
The full list with my former performances you can find here.
Photographer: Alfia Shvedovskaya; Dancers: Adrian Russi, Nikolai Schetnev, Sergey Golovnya
