11 of November 2018 I visited something which made a big impact on me. Göteborg Operans Danskompani with their two works Noetic and Untitled Black.
Noetic
Photo: Bengt Wanselius, PROJECT / NOETIC [Online] Available from: http://www.east-man.be/en/16/69/Noetic [Accessed 24/02/19]
Noetic explores man’s instinctive need to structure every detail of our existence, and our longing to break free of the rules and discover what lies beyond them. The dancer´s movements in Noetic are mechanical and automated in appearance. Larbi wants to show the audience how we create structure for and to one another. They build, change and deconstruct reality.
The word "noetic" comes from the Greek word noetikos which means "intuitive mind" or "inner ability". Edgar Mitchell, the American astronaut, who founded The Institute of Noetic Sciences dedicated to research the role of consciousness in human evolution, revived the use of the word.
The set is designed by widely acclaimed artist Antony Gormley. It will give the dancers both bodily extensions and the constructive elements to create a potential architecture for individual and collective action. The harmonic and emotional music is composed by Szymon Brzóska for the Göteborg Opera Orchestra led by Henrik Schaefer. Percussionist Shogo Yoshii brings a flavor of traditional Japanese music to the creation. Miriam Andersén, Swedish singer and "riksspelman" will take part in Noetic as a vocal soloist. Costume design by Belgian fashion design team Les Hommes.
PROJECT / NOETIC [Online] Available from: http://www.east-man.be/en/14/69/Noetic [Accessed 24/02/19]
Noetic became for me unbelievable experience because of some reasons:
A multicultural group of dancers represent the unity and freedom of the imaginary borders of races and gender. Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui Belgian dancer and choreographer, Polish composer Szymon Brzóska, British sculptor Antony Gormley, the idea of the American astronaut and many other creative professionals accumulated the knowledge and represented it in a choreographic piece. Combination of various cultures and experience support the idea of “one home and one planet” – idea of unity.
The composition of this dance contains clear introduction with entry idea and positioning the questions, main part and conclusion with summing up and conclusion. “Sudden element” of the man walking on the high heels refers a bit to David Lynch methods of action on the background. But this combination creates an intricate plot narrative.
Elements of Yoga, elements of choreography on the floor, dance without music, combination with theatrical performance, real sculpture on the stage, reference to filmography and etc. – all of this is a combination of different arts which make think that theatre and yoga were created for diverse purposes but when combined – all is in sake of human research of themselves.
Rhythmic and dynamic narrative kept me enchanted during all act. Afterwards, my research led me to the “noetic science”, although “Noetic science”, the dubious discipline invented in 1973 by former astronaut Edgar Mitchell, is unexpected dance fodder.” THE FINANCIAL TIMES [Online] Available from: https://www.ft.com/content/e308ed22-28b7-11e6-8ba3-cdd781d02d89 [Accessed 21/11/18] I find it interesting. Because when you “fly” so far from the planet you might have a chance to see a different perspective.
“It led him (Edgar Mitchell) to conclude that reality is more complex, subtle, and mysterious than conventional science had led him to believe. Perhaps a deeper understanding of consciousness (inner space) could lead to a new and expanded understanding of reality in which objective and subjective, outer and inner, are understood as co-equal aspects of the miracle of being.” Institute of Noetic Science [Online] Available from: https://noetic.org/about/what-are-noetic-sciences [Accessed 24/02/19]
This experience explains to me how an artist can use scattered elements for reinventing a dance, even not a dance… it is more than this. Collected elements are given in balance and aligned in rhythm. This is precisely the main idea of Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui - to show the need for a person in structuring and justifying everything. But in contrast to this, the idea of the greater, the idea of the inner world of a man, rises on our rationality and becomes the primary cause of the beginning of everything.
Untitled Black
Göteborg Operans Danskompani, Untitled Black. Shanghai International Dance Center, Shanghai. 11 November 2018.
The purity of perception is the only feeling that does not leave during the whole performance. At first, the brain tries to understand and recognize but from the beauty of colour, gestures and rhythm of the music you are distracted from this world and transferred to the abyss of ritual. The staging devoid of gender and narrative perceived in the same breath. Like bursts of paint on Pollack's canvas, this production invites deep-seated emotions and thoughts.
Bibliography and references
1. Wikipedia, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui [Online] Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidi_Larbi_Cherkaoui [Accessed 24/02/19]
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