Essence

Every city carries traces of past events, traumas and changes. The human organism reacts to the experience of trauma by dissociating – separating body and mind, leaving one feeling alienated or frozen. In somatically oriented therapy, certain places in the body are sought where a person perceives a source of joy and peace. These places become points of support, resources and anchors for addressing challenging topics. What happens when a person encounters an outer place that is a source for for them?

The performance is an invitation to enter an “other”, non-everyday perception – another point of view of the city, combining the physical and psychological experiences of walking together and consciously perceiving the surroundings, the other beings in the space and the thoughts that arise within oneself. Through the dancers’ bodies, the audience will witness and experience a journey through different stages of being, from resting through playful exploration and exhaustion to a deeper form of inner peace.

During the Czech-German cooperation project “Esence místa” (“Essence of the place”), two dancers from Germany joined a team of Czech artists in the town of Jáchymov to create a performative audiowalk up to a local hill (Klobouk Hill). The Slovakian music duo Päfgens, based in Berlin, composed a musical piece specifically for Jáchymov. You can listen to the entire compostion here: https://soundcloud.com/pafgens/jachymov

During this walk, the audience was confronted with questions about their relationship to the place and their perception of the different locations they passed through. At four stations they were presented with short dance pieces that were created in those very locations and inspired by the specific conditions and atmospheres of those places.
Now, the material and experiences gathered in Jáchymov will be transferred and adapted to the location of Vierte Welt.

An audio recording is part of the performance. Please bring your smartphone and headphones, if possible.

You can find some impressions of Esence místa 2024 / Klobouk – Jáchymov here: https://vimeo.com/1017955390

Concept & production: Tera Dvořáková

Audio & Soundscape: Šárka Zahálková

Dance: Sophie Geisler, Marlene Kahl

Music: Päfgens

Funded by the Ministry of Culture (Czech Republic), Deutsch-Tschechischer Zukunftsfonds

Fotos: Barbora Ederová