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Having reconstructed the first version of Im (Goldenen) Schnitt by Gerhard Bohner in 1996, three years later, in 1999, the dancer and choreographer Cesc Gelabert drew on the videos of Cosima Santoro to reconstruct Im (Goldenen) Schnitt II, the second version of the work inspired by the music of The Well-tempered Clavichord by Johann Sebastian Bach, was performed for the first time by the Berlin choreographer himself in 1989 at the Akademie der Künste in Berlin.
Based on the original concept, Gelabert presents pieces and elements selected by Bohner from three different artistic disciplines – dance, visual arts and music – all of which are interrelated in their simultaneous execution, while they remain autonomous works of art.
For Im ( Goldenen) Schnitt II, the sculptor Robert Schad designed a sculptural piece formed of five steel parts.
Gelabert and Bohner became acquainted and they developed a mutual respect for each other on both an artistic and a personal level.
In spite of adhering strictly to the essence of Bohner’s choreography, Cesc Gelabert maintains his artistic individuality as a dancer, in such a way that one is never given the impression that he is trying to imitate the German choreographer.
Choreographed and performed by: Gerhard Bohner
Première: May 1989, Akademie der Künste, Berlin
Reconstructed and performed by: Cesc Gelabert
November 1999, Akademie der Künste, Berlin
Co-producers:
Akademie der Künste, Berlin / Gelabert – Azzopardi Dance Company
Sponsor
The Kultur-Stiftung Foundation of Deutsche Bank
"For several
years I have been performing the first version of Im
(Goldenen) Schnitt at theatres and festivals throughout
the world and the response of the public, critics and
organisers has been sensational. Personally, it has given
me a great deal of joy and satisfaction. It is a home,
a place of meditation and repose.
© Klaus
Rabien
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When I
approached the second version, I was extremely impressed
by its plastic dimension, but I missed the emotional
force of the biographical story, the logic of the journey
through the articulations, and the exploration of space
as in the first version. But once I started rehearsing,
a structure of great beauty and clarity gradually emerged.
It crosses over and varies the order of the sections.
And to make it symmetric, it adds the prelude and fugue
number 13. Instead of running the length of the body
from head to toe, it does so in reverse order, from the
bottom to the top. These changes, within the new scenic
space, with the sculptures by Robert Schad, totally renew
the reading, the sense of the work. The sculptures invade
the space and shape the different landscapes of a life.
It is much more optimistic, opens itself up to the future,
holds out a solution. It does not lead towards death,
but towards life.
It is fascinating
to be able to explore the choreographic material in this
new plastic context and with the force that comes from
having someone perform the music live. Moreover, we are
lucky enough to have Heidrun Holtmann, the same pianist
who accompanied Bohner when he danced this work."
Cesc
Gelabert
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