BROKEN – 2002
In BROKEN, audiences are confronted by bodies that are imprisoned, manipulated, fractured, analysed and subjected to surveillance. The work explores the unconventional and irrational patterns of expression manifested by the body when it is placed under pressure. It asks what happens when the body is thrown into darkness, or brought to the brink of madness.
BROKEN forms a trilogy with the dance performances BREATH (2000) and LOVE (2003), all focused on the theme of a “locked” body. It was conceived for performance in non-traditional contexts such as military camps, art galleries and churches. Intended to challenge both its audiences and its performers, it actively integrates spectators and dancers in a process of constant motion and interaction within the performance space. Critical responses to BROKEN greeted it as “unforgettable” – the creation of “a strange and magical situation”.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Gunhild Bjørnsgaard & Marcelino Valiente
DIRECTION & LIGHTING: Marcelino Valiente
PERFORMERS: Sylvain Meret, Bérengère Fournier, Inken Landskröner, Marcel Bassachs-Birosta
COSTUMES: Gunhild Bjørnsgaard
SUPPORTED BY: Arts Council Norway, Verk Gallery in Oslo, Cie Beau Geste/Dominique Boivin, France.
