Art stations fundation - by Grażyna Kulczyk


28.06.2013
20:00
Studio Słodownia +3
Sofia Dias & Vítor Roriz A Gesture That Is Nothing But A Threat OLD BREWERY NEW DANCE AT MALTA FESTIVAL 2013

artistic direction, performance and text 
Sofia Dias & Vítor Roriz

sound 
Sofia Dias

artistic collaborator 
Catarina Dias (image on stage)

costumes 
Lara Torres

technical director and lighting design 
Nuno Borda de Água

co-produced by 
Box Nova/CCB, O Espaço do Tempo, CDCE

partners
alkantara, ACCCA, O Rumo do Fumo, Negócio/ZDB, Bains Connective

financial administration 
SUMO Associação de Difusão Cultural

touring 
Materiais Diversos

this project received funding from 
Governo de Portugal/Secretário de Estado da Cultura – DG Artes

acknowledgements 
Pietro Romani, Maria Ramos, Câmara Municipal de Montemor-o-Novo, André Pires Calvário, Cláudia Mateus 

In this piece we subject words to the rules of movement composition and explore the potential of the word as a body, taking into account not only meaning, but also sound plasticity and the relationship to voice, breathing, rhythm and musicality. We place ourselves in that moment where the word repeated loses its meaning and within the possibility of degeneration and transformation. As other words emerge, we are able to observe how our minds work- in the chaos of sound textures there is always a logical connection to something recognisable. In this way, we free ourselves from semantic and syntax determinism, rearrange the hierarchy of word, voice, movement and gesture, and aspire to new constellations of meaning to reflect the complexity of the human expenence.

"Playing with words is merely to examine the way the mind functions, to mirror a particle of the world as the mind perceives it. In the same way, the world is just not the sum of the things that are in it. It is the infinitely complex network of connections among them."
Paul Auster, The Invention of Solitude

The show has been awarded Prix Jardins d’Europe 2011 for “thorough re-thinking and detailed investigation of the word, voice and sound in relation to embodiment. The piece achieved a personal identity by engaging in the ongoing questioning of the choreography through creative and physical labour; while at the same time opening up a poetic space of thoughts, feelings and, as the two performers enacted, a very intimate discovery.”

Sofia Dias & Vítor Roriz have researched and created various dance pieces since they began collaborating in 2006. Their work has been presented in Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Romania, Belgium, England and The Netherlands. In addition to their work as choreographers and performers, they have led workshops for professionals and non-professionals at Centro em Movimento, Fórum Dança, Companhia lnstável, Alkantara and Festival Ofélia. From 2010 to 2012 they also taught theatre undergraduates at ESAD (Caldas da Rainha). They are associate artists at Materiais Diversos (Lisbon) and O Espaço do Tempo (Montemor-o-Novo).

Sofia Dias (independent dancer/choreographer) graduated from the National Conservatory of Dance in Lisbon. In 2001, she went to New York with the support of the Portuguese Ministry of Culture (I.P.A.E.); she furthered her training at C.e.m. (Centro em Movimento) and participated in several workshops, the most recent being Steve Paxton's Material for the Spine (2011). In 2004 Sofia took part in the lnternational Theatre Course La Nouvelle École des Maîtres, Project Thierry Salmon, with Jan Fabre. She has worked with Sofia Neuparth, Ronit Ziv/Companhia lnstável, Javier de Frutos/C.I., Alias Compagnie/Guilherme Botelho, Lilia Mestre/Random Scream, Corinne Rochet/Co. Utilité Publique, Maria Ramos, Luís Guerra de Laocoi, Tânia Carvalho, Clara Andermatt and Marco Martins, among others. In parallel she devotes herself to experimental sound work, creating the soundscapes for her works and collaborations.

Vítor Roriz (independent dancer/choreographer) studied Sports and Physical Education at Porto University. After working as an actor in Oficina Theatre Company (1997-00) under the direction of Mancho Rodrigues, he continued his dance training at Centro de Dança do Porto and Fórum Dança/Lisbon. He took part in the multidisciplinary projects COLINA/Talino6 and was chosen for an APAP (Advancing Performing Arts Project) residency in Torres Vedras. He attended the DanceWeb Scholarship Programme in the context of lmpulseTanz 2011 in Vienna. He has worked with Paola Moreno, Bruno Dizien, Wim Vandekeybus/Ultima vez, Guilherme Botelho/Alias Compagnie, Lilia Mestre, Davis Freeman/Random Scream, Aldara Bizarro, Abraham Hurtado, Clara Andermatt and Marco Martins, among others.

co-organizers

Screenshot 35