On Air | International Scenography Biennial
I was delighted to be invited by my good friend Cihan to collaborate with a Turkish art collective on a special project for the closing ceremony of the International Scenography Bienniel in Ludwigsberg, Germany. Bags were packed and I set off to Istanbul for rehearsals excited to meet the new people I will be collaborating with and even more excited to be creating work in such a fantastic city. We take our first rehearsals in the Istanbul ATA film studios I am thrilled what a great and perfect place to dance on walls... I am introduced to Melih, he will also be dancing in the performance, we train together. On the second rehearsal I am introduced to the rest of the dance company (Ciplak Ayaklar) the creative technologists (Nerdworking) and the musicians (Gevende).
I love the city and we travel everywhere by Motorbike which suits my thrill seeking nature perfectly!
Sooner or later we are all checking into a hotel in Ludwigsberg, Germany...Im touring in Europe with a Turkish company and before you know it, we have created a show and its opening night!
The live music was astonishing. I performed a vertical dance solo to a wonderful piece composed by two talented musicians from alternative rock group Gevende. It was some kind of blend between trumpeted whale song and glitchy electronica - I just loved it!
The Rigging and Production was facilitated by Vertigo Flying Effects (also from Istanbul (In my ten years as an aerialist i have never felt more empathy for a performance from a technical team) I felt completely safe in their hands.
My co-performers Asli Ozturk and Melih Kirak or Ciplak Ayaklar Dans Kumpanyasi were incredible to work with and we created effortlessly together. And finally visuals from Osman Koc, a computer genius who stepped in last minute and speed programmed sound responsive and beautiful visuals for the event. We did terribly well and had a standing ovation on the last night and from an auditorium filled with academics...we should be proud :-) If you want to see a little teaser of my part of the show here is a clip for your enjoyment :)
