E.SCENA 310 - fragments

Lunch Lecture SNDO, Amsterdam

Landing back to AMSTERDAM, 23rd October 2008

The moment of landing at Schiphol airport was very emotional... between jet lag and tierdness I felt strongly:
Yes, I did something special
Yes, Tacna was unique
Yes, that's life experience, which I would not exchange for anything

"E.SCENA 310" - confesiones

Impressions of DCP actors about this performance:

John: “Formato teatral mas raro que he visto hasta el momento”
The most rare theatrical format, that I have seen so far.

Arturo: “ la anterior version del espectaculo fue cansativa y muy dura, ahor es mas divertida."
The previous verssion of the performance was tiering, now is more fun"

Amiel: “ a vezes es caotico y a la vez ordenao. Todo es ordenado dentro del desorden. Trabajo fisico es fuerte, por ejemplo el calentamiento, desarrollando la plasticidad y agilidad.
Sometimes it is caotic but at the same time in orden. As if all was in orden inside of dis-order. The physical work is strong, for example the warming up, but we develop the plasticity and flexibility.

Rocio: “ distinta a veces muy ordenda a vezes muy caotica."
Different... sometimes very precise sometimes caotic..

Marggoriette: "Es mi primer contacto que tengo con la danza; una idea loca, riesgosa en esta ciudad, me da miedo si va a gustar a la gente y en principio a la gente mayor, como mi abuelita. A los jovenes, a quienes queremos llegar, creao que si les va a gustar..."
It is my first time I have any contact with contemporary dance; it's a crazy idea, full of risk in this city, I'm scared if people will like it, for example if the older people will like it, as my grand mother. We would like to reach the youngsters and I think they will like it..

Noe: “ algo recontra nuevo fuera de lo comun que sobrepasa lo que conozemos, entendemos por danza."
Something re-contra new, outside of the comun knowledge about dance

Jose Carlos: “ Ya llega , ya...!” sudor... terminas con dolores en espaldas y no sabes porque...
nos explotas...trabajamos sobre memorias del cuerpo. Pero perdi las sensasiones, falta mas sentir, por eso es interesante ahora incorporar las memorias de sensacione.”
Sweat...you finish with back pain and you don't know why... Gosia is exploring us. We work with memory of the body, but I have lost the sensations, it is missing "to FEEL", that is why it is interesting now to re-incorporate the memory of the sensations.

Photos by Filip Molski

"E.SCENA 310"

We are almost ready to premiere the final work with DCP, "E.SCENA 310".


“E.SCENA 310”, toca el tema del rol del arte en la sociedad latinoamericana, donde – por ejemplo - el teatro y la danza, no son vistas como una profesion digna sino como un hobby y estas artes escénicas están prejuicidas por esterotipos sociales. En vez de defender valores de artes escénicos, Deçiertopicante, escoge provocar al espectador y trabaja en la de-construcción del lugar conocido como 'escenario'. Al mismo tiempo, sugiere al espectador que busque su intimidad en el teatro.
En este contexto, en el espectáculo se 'habla' también de lo que uno puede/no puede alcanzar.

En “E.SCENA 310” se busca dar forma y cuerpo a un importante manifiesto personal, sobrepasando limites físicos de cada individuo y del espacio.

"E.SCENA 310", concerns the theme of the role of art in Latin American society, where theatre and dance, are not seen as profession but as a hobby. Instead of defending values of Performing Arts, Deçiertopicante, chooses to provoke the viewer and works on deconstruction of the place known as 'stage '. At the same time, suggests to the viewer to seek his intimacy in the theater.

In this context, the show is speaks also about what you can / cannot reach.
In "E.SCENA 310." we search how to give a shape and body to an important personal manifesto, surpassing physical limits of each individual and space.

Jose Carlos dance

I found this movie just now...

"Desired Constellation"- by Björk

With a palm full of stars
I throw them like dice
Repeatedly
I shake them like dice
And throw them on the table
Repeatedly
Repeatedly
Until the desired constellation appears
And I ask myself:

How am I going to make it right?
How am I going to make it right?
How am I going to make it right?
And you hear
How am I going to make it right?

New eyes wanted

Maria, listen, I don't see anything...
the desert hill behind my window is just tones of sand,
the palm trees disappeared from my sight,
I pass the campesinos with no interest
Aymara language does not excite me any more
exotic fruits lost their taste
I feel far away
but
I don't feel here

tell me, how to feel new continents
new personal islands...

Back to work with DCP

The final phase of our project just started. With Deciertopicante, I am preparing the last performance, that will be premiered on the 6th September opening the artistic season of their spring. I am really excited. The piece, among other themes, focuses on the place of the theatre in the Latin culture- it is not seen as profession but as a hobby. Culture is a desert. I search how to give form and body for an artistic manifesto crossing over emotional and physical borders of each individual.

One of the strongest inspirations and point of reference remains Tadeusz Kantor and Banksy's work...

Cosas Raras

Strange things are happening in the city. Yesterday night a VENTERRON has hit the streets. It is strong wind with lots of sand, like a sand-torment. They told me that it is pretty rare, that it happens once in few years. During the day it looked as if entire hill covered the city, and it was still in the air till late afternoon, entering the mouth, ears and nose.
They warned me, that it is possible another venterron comes this night.
They warned me, that it is very possible new earth-shake comes soon.

Strange fear feeling my lungs.

Colca Canyon

There are many succesful bloggs about travels and discovering new places. Some of the succesful bloggers describe where, when, what and how. And so many people are wanting to read it, imagining that they live this adventure as well...

Yet I leave you with only these images from Canyon Colca and rural village Cabanaconde.

Resume June-July

In June, Deciertopicante has re-opened “Thespis Cafe”. A small, cosy place to have a drink and hapje is a side-project to generate income for sustaining artistic work of DCP. Every Thursday is called Jueves de Vanguardia (Thursday of Vanguard) and it's a culture program with focus on artistic innovation. It consists in shows, performances, art-cases, lectures, readings, interviews, etc. DCP has opened this series with presenting “Los Musicos de Bremen” a play directed by Roberto Palza based on the story of Grimm Brothers.

It is important to stress, that playing in non-conventional space of the cafe, using some structures of improvisation, the group showed evidence of progress, that our workshop is bringing results, that they are able to break old schemes and adapt “instant composition in real time in non conventional spaces” to enrich their artistic proposal. But for whom?

The attendance is poor, even though, the entrance is free. Might be due to the winter time, that keeps people home, might be due to not enough publicity, or simply, “Thespis Cafe” needs time...

In the meantime DCP continues to work hard. They realize autonomous work for primary schools commissioned by Instituto Nacional de Defensa de la Competencia y la Priopiedad Intelectual, (INDECOPI). It is didactic theater with imposed subject or theme. And it is good paid. One more side project to make possible financial support for other artistic activities and productions of DCP.

In the month of June and July the group is realizing 30 shows, and, attention, every morning their performance in schools is seen by 100 -700 kids! The discussion about how to bring other artistic proposal, not imposed neither didactic, is in the air.

I am closing this first half of the placement with an anxious reflection, where does the energy and dedication to form second generation of actors go? One third of the DCP group will finish soon their universities. I share Roberto Palza's worries, that the family, which has great power in Latin America, soon starts to make pressure and stress the need for economical help for the family, who has maintained the child during their studies. Theater is seen as hobby, not as profession, and now is time to “pay back” and help by their younger brothers and sisters, which remains in number of 3, 4, 5 or more at home...

Next question appears: would be possible to support better the artistic development of their kids? Why couldn't theater or performing arts give better future? What if it could? How can I, with this small project influence such a big change...?

Calientes- 20km from Tacna, Sunday trip

Alice(s) is born

3 women

Once more temblor

They said it was pretty strong, but I don't recognize the force of this earth-shake last night. I jus woke up completly disorientated. The most anxious moment is the one of waiting for the end of the shake (never know how long it will be) and the excpectation if it would repeat perhaps stronger...

We queue for a change...

EX CINE - HAPPENING


This HAPPENING took place during LET 3-
Experimental Theater Laboratory
orgenized by Deciertopicante
on the 5th&6th July 2008
in Tacna...

We queued for a change...

Pons Muzzo 450

What do I do after rehearsals with DCP?

Some images from the city.

The most attractive couple of Tacna ..

View on Teatro Municipal and the Peruvian flag from dressing room in Teatro Orfeon:

Other view from dressing room:

Patio of Teatro Orfeon, somehow one of my favorite places to sit in..

Behind Tacna- the way to Arica (Chile)...

Suddenly, I realized, I am indeed in the dessert...

Some images from rehearsals- Alice

Essence of things...

Yes, I agree with my friend, that when one goes away finds the essence of things...
Sometime the price for it is a vulnerable emotional state...

I am looking forward to walk down into the deepest canyon in the world, Cotahuasi, here, near Arequipa...
I dream the essence of my things lies somewhere in between there...

am I right?

-
skądkolwiek, dokądkolwiek
aż do skrzyżowania,
gdzie sie zbiegają,
żeby sie rozbiegnąć
twoje nadzieje, pomyłki, porażki,
próby, zamiary i nowe nadzieje.

Droga za droga
ale bez odwrotu
dostępne tylko to,
co masz przed sobą,
a tam, jak na pociechę,
zakręt za zakrętem,
zdumienie za zdumieniem,
za widokiem widok.
Możesz wybierać
gdzie być albo nie być,
przeskoczyć, zboczyć,
byle nie przeoczyć.

(fragment "Labirynt" by Wislawa Szymborksa)

And how did it go...?

"Fronteras" and "Alice baila", the first ever contemporary dance experiment by Deciertopicante. The 3 videos are available here

We made something for the first time in Tacna and the audience was confronted with unknown art form. They were unsure how to "understand" it and what it is all about. They were confused how to enjoy it. They clapped but left the theater quickly. Their experience disappeared as if absorbed into a black whole with no response, no dialogue... I think, what the public needs, is to open up a bit more and to drop from the level of "understanding" to the level of sensing.

Listen to the interview with Lucho Montenegro and me in Radio Tacna after the shows.
(Spanish speaking.)