To see or not to see?

Once again I am thinking about the production. It is very likely to happen in our capital city that all the premiers, revivals, festivals, presentations and installations and all the other relations happen in one week. Even though I already spoke about the relatively big production of creations in our relatively small city and it’s 275m2, I can not pass the fact that since July when I mentioned in one of my writings that I see 5 performances in 2 months, I came to see 5 performances in one week. And this goes on the whole year. Oh excuses me, just at the opening of a season, during the holidays and in the time of festivals, and also those other festivals, and at the end of the season and during the summer and for public holidays and and and… What I try to say and I say this from the perspective of a viewer is that one person just can’t handle it. But what difference does it make from which perspective I speak for? If I take the position of a creator I would absolutely stand by the fact that every artist needs to show their work and have the possibility to make reprises and go to festivals and do continuous work. And if I still speak form the position of a dancer or a choreograph in Ljubljana then I wouldn’t have the problem od seing to much performances, because I wouldn’t go to any. Because this is how it is in fashion around here. But as a part of a loyal audience that needs to pay the ticket (and a big price for dealing with the weight of some performances and characters of the artists), sometimes suffer, sometimes enjoy, get back pain or laughing cramps, and more or less experience all the ups and downs of flora and fauna in the theatre hall. Never the less I find it highly important to follow the scene, to explore, to think and try to do some analyzing. But in order to do so every week I should probably quit my social life, turn off al the other media and interest and only see performances. I could take it on my daily agenda and buy a ticket for public transport for only 4 stops, where the venues are. But we all know that won’t happen. So to express my contribution to the scene let me present one week in my early past:

Monday, 18.11.

Venue: Španski borci, Ljubljana, Performance: Sokol, Performers: Iztok Kovač and Janez Janša, Price:free of charge (as I am a student of cultural studies), Number of audience: cca 16

Performance looks back 20 years ago when Iztok Kovač shocked Slovene contemporary dance scene with his solo ‘How I reached a Falcon’. On the initiative of a performer Janez Janša, they made a performance based on that.

My thoughts: I was thinking about ageing, about what kind of voyageurs a re we, if we like to watch only young and vital bodies and about reminiscences.

Tuesday, 19.11.

Venue: Stara elektrarna, Ljubljana, Performance: Vse, kar smo izgubili, medtem ko smo živeli, Performers: Beton Ltd. (Primož Bezjak, Branko Jordan, Katarina Stegnar), Price: 10€ + a glass of champagne, Number of audience: sold out, hard to say how many people because of unconventional use of sitting space

My thoughts: Splendid, fun and exciting. And we got a drink :) It is always a pleasure to see Beton Ltd. one of the rarest Slovene collectives to do their moves. But what gets trough my mind every time: How much they spend on this performance?! (time, money, energy…)

Wednesday, 20.11.

Venue: Skladovnica, Ljubljana, Performance: Toung dance – In memoriam Gregor Kamnikar, Performers: Gregor Kamnikar aka Božidar Šumi, Price: Free of charge (got some chocolates – seems like a freebies week, right?), Number of audience: 2 (well 1 if you don’t count the girl that joined because she knew the performer)

My thoughts: amazing experience. I think this was the first time I couldn’t reveal all the mastery about the performance until I returned home. It started with a strange invitation without and details about the time and venue of the performance. Then it says that performance will be held by a person that in my knowledge didn’t existed. I had to send an email to organiser to get the information about the time of performance. When I arrived to the venue I met a person that introduced as Gregor and Božidar at the same time. And then understood that this is the same person and watched him do a casual performance, almost purposal, a showing. When he finished (he did it in his inner chronological time) he sat down in the hall and opened a box of chocolates. That is so rare and needed. Not opening of chocolates, but this down to earth aproach to performing and sharing. To be able to talk and discuss what you saw with the creator. Probably that’s why this is the only performance of this week that I can talk about at all. It touched me. I got to know the artist, his work, his process and never the less I know I can talk or even work with him in the future, because he really opened his work to me.

Friday, 22.11.

Venue: Španski borci, Ljubljana, Performance: Festival – Živa 2013 (3 day- national festival), Performers: young dancers and choreographers from Slovenia and abroad, Price: 3€ each performance, 10€ a festival ticket, Number of audience: depends on the hours and a performance

My thoughts: An important annual review of the contemporary dance in Slovenia, specially because of showing miniatures of children and youngsters on one side and pieces and performances of professionals on the other.

Saturday, 23.11.

Venue: Plesni forum Celje, Performance: An evening of contemporary dance – PIKA,AMEN,STOP by Plesni forum Celje, Performers: 14 dancers of ansamble Plesni forum Celje at the age 14-16 years, Price: Free of charge, Number of audience: full (100 people)

My thoughts: good energy, interesting structures, creative approaches in working with youth

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Therefore don’t judge my lack of reflections and reviews. There is so many amazing stories in Ljubljana, but sometimes it seems to me, that everything is not very well conected. I would expect to see more or less the same public at each performance. Or at least to see most famous faces from the scene at some performances. But unfortunately this is not so. And I ask myself… what’s the point?

#performances #english