Nostalgia + Staring into eternity

Reform from the periphery of Russia. In the Siberian industrial metropolis of Chelyabinsk, choreographer Olga Pona has developed a powerful and enigmatic language of movement that takes up the theme of everyday life. Inspired by constructivist formal language, she comes up with images that are simultaneously stubborn, laconic and poetic.

"If you live in Chelyabinsk, you simply can’t help but move. After all, our winter is nine months long. But the dynamics of dance also have something to do with the way we live … Russian reality is the main source of inspiration for my work. In a country that’s changing so fast and has lost its ideology this reality isn’t very poetic. But there is a tradition that’s certainly older than that of communism; examining this reality with a sense of nostalgia and the absurd." (Olga Pona)

Nostalgia shows young men and women moving mechanically, without expression. Accompanied by a musical collage of electronic and natural sounds, they test what it is like living on a surrealistic adventure playground. In Staring into Eternity the ten dancers mirror the clichés and gestures of Russian men, as well as their vulnerability and sensitivity. Both pieces reveal a longing for a state of innocence, for harmony and community. Yet this wish remains a utopian ideal, which can only shine briefly in these daydreams of a dance without illusions.

Co-produced by House of World Cultures, Tanzhaus NRW Düsseldorf, Monsounturm Frankfurt/M.

Nostalgia

Choreography, musicsoundcollages, costumes: Olga Pona

Dance: Michael Abramov, Maria Gerasimova, Vladimir Golubev, Maria Greyf, Tatiana Lumpova, Vladislav Morosov, Artyom Suschenko, Olga sharova, Vladimir Vdovenko, Andrey Zykov

Light design: Vladimir Karpov

Music by: R. Ikeda, A. Pärt, T. Yamanaka, Body Electric, Urban Tribe

Duration: 40 minutes

Première: 2005

Staring into Eternity

Choreography, costumes: Olga Pona

Dance: Michael Abramov, Vladislav Morosov, Artyom Suschenko, Vladimir Vdovenko, Andrey Zykov

Singers: Vladimir Gorishnyy, Vitaliy Usov

Light design: Vladimir Karpov

Music: R. Dubinikov, V. Havel, R. Ikeda, russische Volksweisen

Duration: 35 minutes

Première: 2003