Ifmc 2015 report
The XXVIII International Festival of Modern Choreography in Vitebsk took place from November 19 till 22. The stated program was implemented thanks to the organizers of IFMC – Vitebsk Oblast and City Executive Committees, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Belarus, National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre and also the general partner of the festival Belwest company.
In those days Vitebsk applauded all three troupes of the Yevgeny Panfilov Ballet Theater (Perm, Russia) – the main cast, Evgeny Panfilov Ballet of the Fat and the dance-company “Fight Club”. The large-scale presence of the theatre in 2015 was dedicated to the 60th birthday anniversary of the theatre founder – Yevgeny Panfilov. During his lifetime the Master smilingly confessed that he had never imagined himself ''old and with a cane'' and then he immediately parodied the gait of an elderly celebrity. If his fate had developed otherwise, it's unlikely he would have look like 'an old wreck'. I suppose he would have live fast, laugh at jokes about his anniversary and use sarcastic epithets in his own address. I'm absolutely sure, if Panfilov had been alive, in 2016 first in the world ballet about retired people would have appear.
On the opening day of the festival we watched “The River”, “Women. 1945” and the ballet-farce “Waltzes for the mad”. IFMC ended with the joke “Huchi-Kuchi” in Alexey Rastorguev's play. Besides, Rastorguev had completed his work on the duet “Deal” specially by the festival. The premiere of “A Woman who went to bed for a year”, the mono-performance with the soloist of the theatre Maria Tikhonova under the direction of Sona Ovsepyan, took place. The bouquet of perfomances ended Konstantin Keyhel's play “Genesis”.
With great curiosity we watched the Swedish performance. Bjorn Safsten presented “Idiots”. The play has nothing to do with Dostoevsky. Two people on a pink coating selflessly and intently studied... What did they study? At all desire it was impossible to learn anything from the official press release. Perhaps the meaning was lost in translation from Swedish into English and then from English into Russian. On the other hand, reviews in the Swedish press are also extremely cautious and touch the outside of the play. Without claiming the correct interpretation, I would like to share my impressions. Two people on a pink coating (looking at the world through rose-colored glasses) try to understand the world literally, to understand all, to answer themselves: “What is it and why?”. These questions in the opinion of a common man (without any implied sense) are actually irrelevant and cause some thoughts about IQ-level of the partners in the play. Clothes: “Why do we dress like that?”. Sound: “Why is it such?”. Face: “Is it a mask? What is under the mask?”. Body: “Why do we move like that but not otherwise?”. There are more than enough messages. As well as interpretations. There is another interesting thing. The director is not interested in dance in the traditional representation. Why? Has dance exhausted itself? Why more and more representatives of European contemporary dance tend to return to the starting point – nature of motion in general. Searching for "black square"? It seems to me, “Idiots” is an example of such a philosophical approach. The result is extremely interesting.
Quite different subject matter was in the Mexican performance “MovingBorders”. A surprisingly bright, warm, with bitterness funny and lyrical play “Nosotros” took the audience by storm with its sincerity. It's hard to say whether Mexico has become closer to Belarusians after IFMC but some share of sympathy has obviously increased. On the background of recent discouraging events on the planet it becomes a little easier when you understand that there is still a place in the world for such simple truths as male friendship.
One of the final concerts with the participation of duets from Italy, Spain, the USA and Russia turned out to be vivid. The soloists of the youth troupe “Spellbound Contemporary Ballet” Serena Zaccagnini and Naomi Segazzi premiered “The Divided Self”. It's pleasant that the outstanding choreographer Mauro Astolfi has created the play specially for IFMC’2015. Vitebsk can state that the ballet has brilliant performers not only in the main cast. Alvaro Esteban and Laura Aris performed “Any Given Morning”. Two experienced, talented choreographers and dancers told a dramatic story about a breakup of recent lovers. Bravo! The Americans Nora Blackall and Chris Saphire also did not add positive emotions to the treasury of love and convincingly demonstrated the relationship crisis at which mutual adoration had turned into violence and psychological punishment (“Both Bitter and Sweet Flow from the Same Fountain”). Maria Tikhonova and Alexey Rastorguev presented spectacular, incredibly artistic “Deal”.
On the 20th of November in the Yakub Kolas Theatre we met again the winner of the Russian national theater award Golden Mask in the performance “Sacred Spring” of the theatre “Ballet Moscow”. The performance was staged by a Frenchman Regis Obadia about 10 years ago and after years it remains one of the most popular in the repertoire of the theatre. The author's interpretation, emotional and physical impact of dancers and power of the music of Stravinsky cause genuine admiration and respect.
The main event of IFMC'2015 was the Belarusian competition. Obviously, national "source of manpower" of modern dance today is the University of Culture and Arts. Analyzing each student's performance in the final of the competition, we can speak about some inaccuracy of performance, partly unclear messages, lack of experience, etc. but professional approach to the performances is undeniable. The biggest problem of the representatives of the University as well as the competition in general is time. The jury often complained about the excessive duration of the performances which detracted from their merits.
The participants of the Belarusian competition IFMC'2015:
- Dmitry Bezzubenko project, the Department of Choreography, the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts
- Marina Kushnerova project “Fingerprint”, Vitebsk
- Valentin Isakov project “X-periments”, Gomel State College of Arts
- Pavel Strelchenko project, the Department of Choreography, the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts
- dance-company “NITI”, Vitebsk
- Sabina Munasypova project, the Department of Choreography, the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts
- Sergey Poyarkov and Igor Nichiporuk project, Minsk
- Sergey Klimenkov project, Minsk
- modern dance group “REROLL”, Minsk
- Nikolay Mikhailov project “M.Y.D.C”, the Department of Choreography, the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts
- dance company “Nachalo”, Grodno
- Kirill Baltrukov project ”SynoNims”, the Belarusian State Youth Theatre
- ”Macro Dance Theatre”, Minsk
- choreographic ensemble “Alesya”, Mogilev
- dance theatre “Altana”, Minsk
- Ekaterina Kvyatkovskaya project, Minsk
- Ksenia Kosova, centre of modern choreography “Smart Dance”, Minsk
- theatre of modern choreography of Diana Yurchenko, Vitebsk
The results of the Belarusian competition:
The special prize “Perspective” – “To Hear Yourself”. Music: Ludovico Einaudi. Choreography: Tatiana Voronova. Marina Kushnerova project “Fingerprint”, Vitebsk. This work enables a viewer to stay alone at least for a few minutes in a continuous, endless flow of everyday worries and problems. A slow, meditative performance. Figurative and perspective.
The special prize “For the subject matter of the dance” – “Oborotitsya”.
Music: “Pafnutiy's Dreams” group. Choreography: Pavel Strelchenko. Pavel Strelchenko project, the Department of Choreography, the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts. This performance goes back to roots, mode of life and rites which are linked to life cycles. There is a balance between the modern choreography techniques and elements of folk dance. It's a worthy example of folk-modern dance.
The special Evgeny Panfilov prize to the best choreographer – Anna Sachivko for the performance “Lonely Together”. Music: “Beautumn” project. Dance-company “NITI”, Vitebsk. A clear, thoughtful, dramatic narrative on the eternal theme – he and she. Truthfully, professionally and humanely.
The third prize – “Gravity”. Music: sounds of the cosmos. Choreography: Anna Korzik. Dance theatre “Altana”, Minsk. Quite an interesting performance. After watching it there is a feeling of trust in the way Anna Korzik has mastered the sounds of the cosmos. I believe the viewers keen on meditation techniques have gained much more impressions.
The second prize – “Seasons”. Modern composers' music. Choreography: Diana Yurchenko. Theatre of modern choreography of Diana Yurchenko, Vitebsk. The work of the dance collective – Diana Yurchenko and the soloists of Marina Kushnerova theatre and Sergey Tolkach – is mature. It's extremely successful synthesis of theatrical means of expression, acting skills, texts of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's letters and dance itself. A convenient for a viewer and complicated for staging form of the performance was brilliantly solved.
The first prize – “Alone with Hope”. Music: Evgeny Martynov. Choreography: Sabina Munasypova. Sabina Munasypova project, the Department of Choreography, the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts. A unique combination of the idea and its execution. I can't remember any festival precedent when an artist could tell his story on the background of a direct author's text (in this case the lyrics of the famous ballad “Ballad of a Mother” by Evgeny Martynov). It's hard to imagine how she decided to take such a risk. There is a feeling that the song has captured her and presented the main thing – inspiration. The performing is brilliant in technique, incredibly expressive and emotional.
Unfortunately, behind the scenes of the audience's perception and the jury's decision was left the performance “Grain” (Sergey Poyarkov and Igor Chipovskiy project, Minsk). Why did the most conceptual performance of the competition gain no recognition? Let's leave aside the audience's level of knowledge of schools and tendencies of contemporary dance. Nothing can be done here, leave as it is. Why didn't the specialists point out avant-garde thinking disappearing today on the way to theatrical stage? Unfortunately, time is guilty. Having a well thought composition, this work leaves an impression of the viewers' weariness. It's clear that understanding and studying of a relation between a personality and external space doesn't imply hurry and bustle, but a director and a performer probably should take into account aspects of the audience's perception. Not so many 20-minute solo parts you can find in the history of modern dance (not only modern). A dancer should possess many qualities – outstanding dance plastic, years of acquired skills of performing and such vague definitions as charisma, energy, magnetism... Meanwhile the idea, the atmosphere and the language of the performance organically and absolutely combine.
Important note. The detailed and comprehensive analysis of the performances of IFMC'2015 has made Doctor of Arts Tatiana Kotovich. Using the link you can learn a lot of interesting and essential things for comprehension of modern dance – “IFMC-2015: movement, time, rhythm and projections of choreographic search”.
The jury of the contest. The co-chairmen:
Yury Troyan – People’s Artist of Belarus, choreographer, art director of the National Academic Big Theatre of Opera and Ballet of the Republic of Belarus.
Radu Poklitaru – choreographer, prize-winner of international competitions, art director of “Kiev Modern Ballet” contemporary dance theatre.
The members of the international jury:
Tatiana Ratobylskaya – Candidate of Art Criticism, journalist, researcher of the theatre and modern dance.
Anders Orn – project manager of performance art of Swedish Institute.
Konstantin Keyhel – choreographer, prize-winner of international competitions, the teacher of modern dance at Boris Eifman Dance Academy.
The Expert Council:
Svetlana Gutkovskaya – choreographer, prize-winner of international competitions, Candidate of Philological Sciences, Professor, head of the Department of Choreography at Belarusian State University of Art and Culture, the chairman of the Expert Council.
Ingrida Gerbyutavichite – art expert, dance critic at Lithuanian Dance Information Centre.
Tatiana Kotovich – Candidate of Art Criticism, Professor, head of the Department of Fine Arts at Vitebsk State University.
Management of the Festival once again thanks to its partners – the general partner “Belwest” company, the official partner of the Festival – Belinvestbank and the partner Belagroprombank. Thanks to the participants of the competition for the given pleasure. Critical remarks of the jury and the audience don't detract from the merits of the performances but emphasize their high level.
Photo by Dmitry Abletsov, Igor Gusakov, Alexey Karasev, Anna Mojsejuk. There were used official photos of such performances as “Sacred Spring” and “Idiots” provided by the participants of the festival.
The poster and the booklet of IFMC'2015
On behalf of the festival management, Eduard Chernivchan, chief operating officer, presenter