[8:tension] – Young Choreographers’ Series 2015

The productions for the [8:tension] – Young Choreographers’ Series 2015 were chosen by the curatorial team consisting of Christa Spatt, Christine Standfest, Rio Rutzinger, Michael Stolhofer and Andreea Capitanescu as representative of the LLB network. In their opening statement they describe their selection as follows:
„We need an emergency plan. We need a symposium. We need contemporary rituals. We need transformation.

We need new voices. Voices of disobedience and refusal, voices of sadness and voices of happiness.

At [8:tension] 2015 choreographers from a new generation raise their voices – both in a literal and a metaphorical sense. There will be singing at Austrian Simon Mayer’s performance and at Ana Rita Teodoro’s, who re-contextualises old Portuguese folk songs in a way that is as subtle as it is surprising, while Maarten Seghers invents a whole new genre of sprechgesang in his charmingly funny stand-up comedy. João Martins lets famous and less well-known greats of dance history tell their stories and reminds us of the desires and battles that have been and still are associated with dancing together. Volmir Cordeiro gives his voice and his body to a “voiceless” C-list celebrity from the fringes of society in a fascinating transformation. And Rita Vilhena takes us on a trip to the unknown. There is a unique, unrestrained desire inherent in her work for collective experience, for getting involved, and it merges into the question: can a contemporary performance become a ritual?

The potential of theatre as a place to celebrate the contradictoriness of life, to bring together that which would otherwise never converge, to provide space for resistance and lots more is on the agenda in this year’s series of performances from young choreographers, featuring 11 productions from 9 countries.“ The following 11 productions from nine countries were invited to come to Vienna for a two-week’s residence during which the artists were offered studio time, slots in workshops and free performances of the ImPulsTanz festival. Further, the artists could present their recent production on two evenings to the audience of the ImPulsTanz festival.

These productions were also nominated for the Prix Jardin d’Europe 2015:
"What Do You Mean What Do You Mean And Other Pleasantries" by Maarten Seghers & The Horrible Facts (BE)
"Personal Symphonic Moment" by Elina Pirinen (FI)
"Symposium" Elisabeth B. Tambwe (AT/FR/CD) - LLB Co-production
"Inês" by Volmir Cordeiro (FR/BR)
"Hinoki" by Máté Mészáros (HU) – LLB Co-production
"Shade (Fantôme Méchant)" by Ana Rita Teodoro (FR/PT)
"Continued Project" by João Dos Santos Martins (PT) – LLB Co-production
"Sorrow Swag" by Ligia Lewis (DE/DO)
"Emergency Plan" by Rita Vilhena (NL/PT)
"Sunbengsitting" by Simon Mayer (BE/AT)
"Explicit Content" by Sergiu Matis (DE/RO) – LLB Co-production