playful performance

This is an introduction I was asked to make for the performance Beginning, Middle, End by Andrea Bozic, Julia Willms, Madalina Dan and Michael Pinchbeck. In November 2008 Michael asked me as a dramaturge for his part of a performance: End. End was only to be one third of the whole performance and while reading the proposal that was send to Springdance I wondered how I could ever be a dramaturge for only this part…

After last year’s Dialogue (this years Europe in Motion) Springdance commissioned for a collaboration by three former participants from three different countries to make a performance for this year’s festival.
Andrea, Madalina and Michael decided to propose a performance, which would both allow collaboration and autonomy. The title of this performance, Beginning, Middle, End, refers both to the structure and concept of the work and to the structure of the working process.

The working process of six weeks was preceded by virtual contact in which the idea was worked out. There were three periods with actual contact: 4 days in March (beginning), 4 days in April (middle) and 4 days in this week (end). In these week they were showing each other what they have been working on and figuring out how these three parts fit together to form one performance. The remaining time each maker worked on his or her own part. But they kept looking to each other’s parts, via skype and live. This looking played an important part in the process.
The three parts were allocated alphabetically: Andrea Bozic asked her long time collaborator Julia Willms to work together to make Beginning, Madalina Dan worked on Middle and Michael Pinchbeck worked on End.

So this performance started out of 3 words, both as form and content: beginning, middle and end. The question is what it means to have such a structure for both the making process and the performance you’ll see tonight. Next to collaboration and autonomy this structure also provided content. What is beginning? What is ending? What is it like to be in the middle? And how do a beginning, a middle and an end relate and interact?

In the end this last question is perhaps the question I was thinking of as a problem in the beginning while reading the proposal. Now I would rather see it as a challenging idea to work from rather then a question that needs to be answered. I would like to end my introduction with the following quote, which can be seen as a starting point for this collaboration:

Every moment has a beginning, middle and end, then dialogue will have meaning.
(http://www.abwag.com/beginning_middle_end.htm)

I wish you a pleasant performance.

My press kit inside the artist goodie-bag I got yesterday seems to represent my split personality during Springdance. On the one hand I am being the objective journalist, writing my columns about the programme, atmosphere and side programme. On the other hand I am the dramaturge for Michael Pinchbeck’s End. Considered an artist, at least according to the batch I received with my goodie-bag, I morphed into another person in a split second. And is it not the task of the artist to present a subjective perspective on this world?

Of course two issues come to mind straight away. Can I be objective whilst being commissioned by Springdance to write about Springdance? How can I be critical about my own commissioner? The other issue is the question what it is to be a dramaturge. Does my subjective view matter for the artist I am working with? Or should I be able to objectify my own perspective on the performance. Should I try to represent the audience that will come and see the show?
In the end I prefer to mix up a clear subjective view with some elements, which I think are more objective. I try to use this approach in my writing, my research and my dramaturgical practice. Alternating in describing the subject matter and my own position in relation to that.

I can’t help thinking of Simon Ellis’s Down (working title). Ellis, one of the participants in Europe in Motion, not only presented his solo performance, he also provided the context of this performance. From the introduction, where I imagined myself in his place, having just introduced Beginning Middle, End myself an hour earlier, to the reviews, audience reactions and even the specifications for touring.

As an artist Ellis took the liberty to be lecturer, choreographer, dancer, critic, audience and PR assistant in one. Criticising both dance and the dance community, he shows, as the devil’s advocate, the ‘like knows like’ existence of this dance community. He left his audience powerless. Everything was already said. Interesting enough Ellis manages to represent several of my positions during Springdance & performance festival. And by doing this he got me thinking about my position(s) in this community.

In a way Ellis covers himself against any criticism from others, wrapping his entire performance. I could write a review on Beginning, Middle, End today…

Beginning, Middle, End by Andrea Bozic, Julia Willms, Madalina Dan and Michael Pinchbeck tonight (April 23), 19.00h in Theater Kikker.
More Europe in Motion: April 23 and 24, 20.30h in Theater Kikker.

Currently I am working with Michael Pinchbeck, a Nottingham based writer, live artist and performance artist. Together with Andrea Bozic and Madalina Dan he makes the performance Beginning, Middle, End. The startingpoint is that every artist takes one part. Andrea takes Beginning together with Julia Willms, Madalina takes Middle and Michael takes End. Michael asked me for dramaturgical advise for his part. The performance will première at Springdance on April 22 and will also play on the 23rd.
For more information visit their blog.

Beginning, Middle, End – Andrea Bozic / Madalina Dan / Michael Pinchbeck
Three artists meet for the first time. They make a performance about the beginning, the middle and the end of an encounter. This is the beginning.

Andrea takes the beginning, Madalina takes the middle and Michael takes the end. The beginning is about a beginning, the middle is about a middle and the end is about an end. This is the middle.
They play with threes. Three dances. Three artists. Three countries. Three bears. Three ways to tell a story or to sing a song. Three in One. They make three entrances and three exits. This is the end.

Andrea Bozic (HR/NL), Madalina Dan (ROU) and Michael Pinchbeck (UK) took part in Springdance Dialogue 2008. They proposed Beginning Middle End for Springdance 2009 to enable both a collaboration and an important sense of autonomy. They identified many intersections in their work; shared interests in absence and presence; issues of embodiment and self-referentiality; fictionalising personal life and personalising fictional life. Beginning Middle End has been built around the artists’ presence and absence in each other’s creative processes. Interested in the connections between their practices and the space between their practices, the artists asked how they might inhabit each other’s work and exit their own.

Production credits:
Concept and performance: Andrea Bozic, Madalina Dan, Michael Pinchbeck
Live drawing (Beginning): Julia Willms
Dramaturgical advice (End): Jochem Naafs
Produced by the Springdance Festival (in co-production with Theater Frascati), financially supported by the Europe in Motion project.