Photo © D.Tsiapkinis
Last part of the Newtopia 3 series : a collaboration with the University Hospital of Tours (Psychiatric Service) and the Saint John University (Dance department) at the Pléiade, La Riche (37520), May 4th 2016, at 8 P.M.
Reservations : http://goo.gl/forms/zErPUqYWvM
The evening’s program :
Praxagora.nu
A choreographic adaptation of the comedy by Aristophanes “the Ecclesiazouses”.
Conception / direction : Dimitri Tsiapkinis
Performers : Julien Besse, Karine Bonneau, Emilie Coudère, Claire Gervais, Claire Guillaume, Magali Dijoux, Carl Loiseau, Bruno Morin, Rosa Pires de Matos, Quentin Perrotte, Keely Sigot.
Costumes : Rose-Marie Melka
Music : Julien Besse, Magali Dijoux, Keely Sigot
Lighting/stage management : François Blet
Duration : ~ 50min
Content :
What newtopia could humans propose in the current geopolitical mazes? Could the archetypal feminine generate metamorphosis in the evolution of our societies? These questions presuppose that we believe in this kind of psychological archetypes, deeply rooted in Western culture. Praxagora.nu is a theatrical choreography inspired by the Greek Aristophanes’ comedy “The Ekklésiazouses” (The Assembly of Women). Does Praxagora – representing the women of her city – impose a feminine form of dictatorship to the image of Marx’s proletarian dictatorship? Or is it rather that Marx was inspired by Aristophanes? In short, the legislative proposals she makes are purposefully focused into the welfare of all citizens. But not quite all of them… Lovers of private property are not happy at all; it requires from them to share almost everything. And then there is the exploitation of slaves, historically inseparable of the social structures of ancient empires. There have been utopian propositions where robots replaced the slaves, but for now it is multinational corporations and power addicts who seem to enjoy their service. Are we ready for a new societal paradigm? How can we transform our egocentric impulses – at least partly – into cosmocentric creative forces?
Omnivion’s choreographic proposal does not offer political solutions. It just draws our attention to these issues through poetic interrogation. It is a choreographic community that shares their thoughts and expressivity on living together. The team relied on the text of Aristophanes, on personal texts, on music and on the political agenda in order to develop its semi-chaotic dramaturgy, reaffirming the joy of living and creating, in this world where order and chaos have always coexisted.
Moon Eaters
Photo © Paul Pedro Mirfin
Performance created in partnership with the dance département of the St.John University of York (U.K.), incorporated in the project Newtopia 3.
Conception / direction : Dimitri Tsiapkinis
Performance by the dance students from the University of St.John in York : Hannah Almond, Sophie Cox, Logan Davenport, Helen Dearden, Chloe King, Shannen Midgley, Stephanie Needley, Ellie Noyce, Louise Oldfield, Stephanie Roberts, Jessica Scott, Paige Sharrock, Eleanor Siddall, Eleanor Smith. With the support of their dance professor Nicola Forshaw (Nicola Mirfin).
Lighting/stage management : François Blet
Duration : 30 min
Content : Sculpting a living sculpture, a corporeal poem, a community Symphony…
Madness : in what degree are the symptoms of a certain loss of psychological integrity signs of a dysfunctional social context? Do we tend to judge people with psychopathologies as “too weak” to face reality? What do we fear when we lose “control”? How are deviant behaviors addressed in other cultures? How to find force and inspiration in our states of “madness”?
Interrogating social cohesion, singularity or extreme singularity to the borders of the socially acceptable. At the meantime regaining access to local responsibility: the future is ours… Why am I on stage? To entertain? To elucidate? To (re-) transmit esthetic content? How can I share space-time with you? When should I erase myself so that you can arise? When is madness a strength instead of merely a “disorder”?
Moon eaters was a double challenge. Accomplishing an artistic performance while considering the educational dimension for the soon to graduate dance students.
The root concept was associated to the Newtopia performance series: promoting artistic and social creativity through kinesthetic intelligence, solidarity and social engagement. Since Newtopia 2 and 3 were strongly associated to mental illness, we thought of sharing our philosophical questioning on madness with the young participants of the Saint John University.
Why Moon eaters?
Moon : The moon has been associated to ecstatic states, to the female archetype (not everywhere), to the dream world. Although, science refutes these phenomena as cultural constructions with no tangible evidence, artists have the advantage of esthetic experimentation and poetic questioning of various scientific, social and moral “truths”.
Eaters : because I needed an alternative to Luni, plural of Lunus referring to the notion of the “moon worshiped as a man”; although there was a valid link to Lunus, Luni seemed to have a negative meaning in the British society and might have distorted the real artistic intention. While searching for ideas, I found a creative Commons photo-montage of the moon having been bitten and thought it was appropriate with content of the piece plus it called for imaginary links to various archetypes that were dealt with during the conception.
The students participated actively in the construction of the choreographic content with movement, texts and dramaturgical suggestions.
et les fonds de dotation Transept 37 (Arpents d’Art).