A Curious Invasion/Bratislava
A Curious Invasion/Bratislava 2009 – Photo Gallery
“Dancing outside is a small revolution againtst the urban regularity and restrictions. Fear is a big topic – after jumping into the gravel, crawling in the pungent bushes, seeing Patrik throw himself all over the studio, I feel much more confident, sturdy and determined to challenge my fear even more - to be free.””
A Curious Invasion/Bratislava was a site-specific performance project created through a collaboration between PWDT and fourteen local dance professionals. An important aspect of the work was a choreographic coaching component in which everyone created their own work in various groups, and the members of PWDT served as conduits in the local dancers’ artistic development.
Conceived and Directed by • Sara Pearson and Patrik Widrig
Choreographed with and Performed by • Lindsay Gilmour, Tzveta Kassabova, Mickey Mahar, Paul Matteson with Mirka, Ivana, Adriana, Marketa, Kei, Magdalena, Anna, Jano, Aniçka, Petra, Marta, Veronika, Mia, Petr
Premiere • Medická Park, Bratislava, Slovakia, July 2009
Funding • Trust for Mutual Understanding • Labanov Atelier Bratislava • Jon Wiener • Friends of PWDT
“The improvisational exercises done in the studio in preparation for the work outdoors really helped to shatter some insecurities that I felt about my movement. It was this divorce of physical body and inhibitions that made my improvisations more fulfilling and at times visceral.””
“I’m still investigating what this project gave me – it will probably take more time to fully comprehend all the information that I acquired from you. Therefore I am really thankful for having had the opportunity to collaborate with professionals like you.”
“Sara and Patrik are brilliant facilitators. They can somehow capture spontaneous physical movement that is honest, full-bodied, and intimate. I will remember our great debriefing conversations after rehearsals and I will consider from now on in detail how a theater space or an outdoor space shapes my dancing. That dancing is specific. It matters where you are, who you are with. I want to visit the park in Bratislava in ten years and perform the piece again.”
“I appreciated that working together in the big group and developing personal work was balanced throughout the project. On one hand being a particle of the whole but still important for the whole piece, not presenting yourself but letting the energy pass through; and on the other hand focusing on vignettes, bringing your little personal idea to life.””