Blasphemy Rhapsody
concept, choreography: Emio Greco | Pieter C. Scholten
dancers: Beatrice Cardone, Denis Bruno, Edward Lloyd, Hiroki Nunogaki, Isaiah Wilson, Maria Ribas, Victor Callens
lighting: Henk Danner
costumes: Clifford Porter
video: Robin Coops
sound: Pieter C. Scholten
realization sound design: David te Marvelde
research: Florian Hellwig, Jesse Vanhoeck
technical realization: Maarten Heijdra, Hugo van der Veldt
duration: 70’
premiere: International Theater Amsterdam, 2021.
Like a virus needs a body
As soft tissue feeds on blood
Someday I'll find you, the urge is here.
Björk
The South Italian dance Pizzica, originally a wild dance to expel the deadly poison of a spider bite from the body, became the remedy against depression in times of poverty. The swinging Charleston arose during the interwar period as a reaction to the strict pre-war labels and marked the liberation from the constant fear of death caused by the First World War. “Blasphemy Rhapsody” arose during the corona crisis. The way we dance can never be completely separated from the way we live together. This is how dance and society intertwine. Or even better, the power of dance works as a motor of change. What can we do to curb transience? Touch the divine or devour the earthly, keep your distance or hug each other to death? The silence before the storm. We spread our wings. The pop song “Around the world” by Daftpunk sounds out of the boxes. The first gust of wind sets us in motion. We are pulled upwards but our feet remain firmly anchored in the ground. ”Blasphemy Rhapsody” emerges as a danced ritual in which certainties are sacrificed. A call to embrace the mobility of life. A ceremony in which the down to earth reality nestles itself in holiness. Like cursing in church, “Rhapsody” arose, from a pressing need for progress and appropriate distancing. The dancers worked, not in a studio but in their ‘holy’ home space, on solos based on the swaying structured footwork of the Charleston and the ecstatic dance of the southern Italian Pizzica. Connecting with choreographers online, they toiled their way ruthlessly, along benches and under tables, using the power of dance to take the measure of the walls and push their limits.
Emio Greco | Pieter C. Scholten created their first collaborative work in 1995; the solo “Bianco”, which became the first part of the trilogy “Between brain and movement”. In these early solos, Greco expressed a curious, searching body and gave the impression of being surprised by what happens to his own movements, at how his muscles tense and relax. Their thoughts were summarised in a manifesto with 7 dance principles, “The Seven Necessities”, and its influence on the body and the viewer. In 1996 they founded the dance company Emio Greco | PC. In 2009 Greco and Scholten merged all their activities into the International Choreographic Arts Centre (ICK Dans Amsterdam). In a continuous pursuit of innovation, they regularly break open the existing frameworks within dance, and within the arts in a broader sense, in their own unique way.
ICK DANS AMSTERDAM is an international platform for contemporary dance based in Amsterdam. ICK is headed by Emio Greco and Pieter C. Scholten, who have been working together for over 25 years in their search for a new dance language and a new approach to the body. ICK creates productions, works with interdisciplinary artists, supports new makers and initiates research and education projects. The Intuitive Body is always central to the work.
“Blasphemy Rhapsody” breathes both energetic relief and agitated nervousness, with meditative moments when someone stands still on his head and hums a thin voice.
@Theaterkrant
Change and uncertainty are the central themes of “Blasphemy Rhapsody”. It is a performance that connects to current events and evokes familiarity. In any case, the premiere received loud applause and a standing ovation from the audience.
@Dansmagazine
