THE NO - BODY PROJECT
PTL / Ljubljana / November 2009
- Concept and creation: Anna Nowicka
- Sound: Primož Bončina (trumpet samples from Olgierd Dokalski)
- Dramaturgical advice: Anja Bajda
- Graphic design : Philip Gruber Bojovich
- Partners: YANVII - Cesena (Italy) and Zavod Vitkar (Slovenia)
- Premiere: December 2009, PTL, Ljubljana
- Further performances: Spanski Borci, Ljubljana; Test! Festival, Zagreb; 23.05.2010, ASF, Poznań
“Sonzai-Kan” means in Japanese: “to sense a presence of something or somebody”. What determines if one is alive? And quite the opposite: how does a body without life act? How does a body striving for life behave? What makes oneself a particular self? Where is the border between “me” as “me”, and representations of me, as a performer? Is there anything beyond the mirrorings of the self? Here all these questions appear, constantly dissolving into the state of ‘in-between’: a state of being in between death and life, in between reality and illusion, in between being a star and a no-body.
“If truth to be told, I’m still nobody. And will be for a while. But in the future, I’d like to find out what it means to be a human being”. (from a documentary by K. Kieślowski “Talking Heads”)
“(…) Within the interesting content of this dance theater performance, which she tackles with considerable maturity, Anna nowicka functions more as a performer, than as a dancer, her concentration on stage, quick and skillful changing of states – from crying, to exprossionless mutenes and laughter – showing great talent and body awareness, complemented by the masterly co-creation of atmosphere and content by the author of sound, Primož Bončina.”
Mojca Kumega “Delo”, 22/12/2009
I have nothing to say, and I’m saying it. With these words Anna Nowicka, polish performer, dancer and choreographer, currently working in Ljubljana, begins her solo performance: “The No-Body Project”, premiered last Thursday in Plesni Teater Ljubljana. This sentence, borrowed from the famous composer JohnCage, is a starting point to ask: “what makes me – me?” (…) Due to the transfer of discomfort, the relation between “being somebody” and “being nobody” remains in the center of the performance. “The No-Body Project” is both interesting on the level of movement research, as well as addressedquestions and theoretical references. The atmosphere of the piece is striking. This non-verbal un-embodied force makes us realize that there is something, what escapes our attention.
Ana Schnabl “Dnevnik”, 22/12/2009