Two dancers and one roll of barrier tape; that is all Jinx 103
needed to amaze me. The simplicity, the dynamics, the playfulness, which was
somehow maintained with dead serious tools, the atmosphere; all of this
contributed to the birth of an astonishing performance.
 |
| Photo by KNI - http://kni7.wordpress.com/2012/09/20/l1dancefest-2012-09-19/# |
The piece started out with the two dancers, József Trefeli and Gábor Varga
chanting a Hungarian nursery rhyme and using a roll of barrier tape to create
evanescent, ephemeral sculptures. These postures are held out for no more than
a couple of seconds and then followed by another one. The tape falls helplessly
to the floor, having completed its artistic mission. It might be interesting to
note, though, the pejorative meaning of this. Barrier tape is usually used to,
for instance, keep ordinary citizens out of a dangerous territory, such as a
crime scene, or some major construction site. And somehow this function of the
prop is realized, too; after this series of tape-sculptures, the two performers
create a circle on the stage, they mark their territory, shutting the audience
out, excluding them from the playground which also happens to be a fighting
arena, even if the duel taking place in the ring is a playful one, reminding
one of a teasing display of power.
The nursery rhyme itself is also a ghost of childhood, and just like the fact
(at least for me) that the performers let this tape-tures fall on the floor
without any regret, there is no compulsive clinging to the past; letting go is
a matter of attitude, not a matter of fear.
The nursery rhyme goes as follows: “Egyedem-begyedem
tengertánc, Hajdú sógor mit kívánsz? Nem kívánok egyebet, csak egy szelet
kenyeret.” The second part of the rhyme is worth some emphasis: “I do not want
anything else, just a slice of bread.” In Hungarian, if you break bread with
somebody, it means that you are becoming friends. It suggests simplicity and a
kind of ritual, just like the whole choreography. Furthermore, the word
“sea-dance” in the first line also somehow reminds me of the belonging, the
vibration shared by the performers, and the co-dependency appearing in the
structure of movements.
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| Photo by KNI - http://kni7.wordpress.com/2012/09/20/l1dancefest-2012-09-19/# |
The choreography
was created in the spirit of the title; when two persons say something at the
same time by accident, in English you say “Jinx” and in Hungarian you say
“103”. The only difference is that in Jinx 103 these meeting points are
intentional: one of the dancers starts a dance pattern and the other follows,
so the dance movements include both identical and contrastive segments. The choreography
abounds in traditional Hungarian folk dance steps, and a part of the music is
also of Hungarian folk music. The energy of folk dance is perfect for this
function of playfulness: it is loud from all the clappings, it is dynamic
thanks to the kicks, and it requires undivided attention from the dancers to
synchronise the movements. It suggests concordance and equality.
The battle
appearing in this dancing ring is only a teasing one, as if the steps of one
performer asked the other, “what will you do now? Will you follow me? Can you
keep the tempo?” This joyful dual is supported by the dancers keeping almost
continous eye contact with each other, the audience functions only as a group
of witnesses for the scene of playful teasing. Using Hungarian heritage and
joint meeting points, the performers create something that is serious and
childish, ancient and modern, entertaining and thought-provoking at the same
time.
I honestly hope it was not the first and last time
I saw the performance. |
| Photo by KNI - http://kni7.wordpress.com/2012/09/20/l1dancefest-2012-09-19/# |
You can also read this critique on the blog of l1dancefest: http://l1dancefestival.blogspot.hu/2012/10/written-thoughts-by-adrienn-pasztoy1st.html
See other photos of this and other performances of L1dancefest on the Kővágó Nagy Imre's website: http://kni7.wordpress.com
The full performance can be watched on Youtube, part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcB0ktUhdkQ
part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4xNKle1Udk
Enjoy! :)
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