POST-DERVISH CHANTTransdisciplinary Performance
4. und 5. Juni 2021, 20.00 bis 21.00 Uhr Stadtpfarrkirche Urfahr, Schulstraße 2, Linz
Interface Cultures student Smirna Kulenovic presents her performance project “Post-Dervish Chant”, a project realized in cooperation with Interface Cultures Student Vahid Qaderi and students from four departments of Anton Bruckner University.
Post-dervish Chant is a transdisciplinary performance situated as a contemporary research of traditional sufi whirling dance methods. These ancient methods are deconstructed as contemporary discussions of the concept of diffraction, and its contextual translations into performance pedagogies of feminist new materialisms.
Traditionally, the process of repetitive whirling in dervish dance aims to improve ones physical, emotional and psychological awareness by introducing trance-induced experiences of interconnectedness with the environment. This performance extends this practice into a research of post-contemporary, novel and spontaneous movement vocabulary that embodies human-non-human materialities. The processual employment of dance, movement or dance-like movement becomes a form of inquiry, a research tool, practice, or mode of doing research.
As performers continuously whirl for an extended period of time, they gain a novel perception of what is transpiring as they are whirling. Especially for trained dancers, who have been learning specific forms, techniques and aesthetics for several years, this process provides the possibility to temporarily move away from their trained body and movement patterns, embodying the fluidities of the potential and unknown. They are encouraged to follow intuitive and instinctual movement and vocalization, without any expectations of the outcome.
Besides the dancers-movers, a group of musicians and sound-makers are invited to explore the relationship between traditional sufi music and contemporary jazz / electronic sound, with which they take part in the individual movement research of each performer. Over the period of 8 months of interactive workshop processes, all performers have been researching (text, photo, video) about their personal and collective approaches to the topics of embodying fear and trauma.
Dervish dance and music become an exercise for higher states of awareness, which re-materialize themselves through performers bodies during this stage-based practice, resulting in an enchanted release of the potentiality of the traumatic experiences that have been researched.
Deriving from participative workshop processes and grounding itself in documentary embodiments of individual/collective traumas, the performance dramaturgy itself becomes a mode of diffraction.
The players in this piece consist of sound-making, dancing-moving humans, material sites, energies and atmospheres of this permanently nomadic and site-specific performance this time premiering in the Stadtpfarre Urfahr, the post-church.
Directed by Smirna Kulenovic (BIH) - director, art director, dervish dance method workshops, improvisation choreography
Performers
Ariathney Coyne (GRC/USA) movement research
Danica Golic (SRB) contemporary dance
Daniela Hanelova (CZE) movement research
Anna Jurek (POL) contemporary dance
Musicians
Aron Hollinger (DEU) composition, drums
Odysseas Manidakis (GRC) composition, laouto
Danial Moazeni (IRN) composition, tar
Vahid qaderi (IRN) composition, electronic audio design, audio manipulation
Light Design: Philip Steiner (AT)
Video Documentation: Indiara Di Benedetto (IT)
Many thanks to the Gruner Anker organisation for providing a unique space and architectural energy crucial for conducing this performance.
Reservations
Please reserve your place here
This is a reservation that guarantees you a place on the night of the premiere. The performance entrance is donation-based, recommended donation is EUR 7. Due to COVID 19 regulations, please reserve your place in advance and show this confirmation upon entrance.
© Smirna Kulenovic