„Spaces of Memory“ triggers story telling – of unique spaces, time codes, characters and their relationships…“ A project that offers imaginary patterns in an exemplary time and space scheme (3 hour performance) within the newly opened Semperdepot, the former grand depot for the Vienna Opera stage sets.
In terms of its site-specific choreographic approach it presents the “existing world” in a new and vivid variation.
„A project that offers imaginary patterns in time and space and in terms of its choreographic approach it presents the “existing world” in new variations. As spectators, we do not feel excluded but involved. When they enter their “spaces of remembrance”, they do not get lost in introverted thoughts but start to interact with the other dancers and the audience. From a formal point of view, Sebastian Prantl perfectly matches the characteristics of a post-modernist performance: in his work, (theatrical) illusion and reality merge, but not through forced fraction or pedantic “look – I’m just acting” attitudes, but because the dancing takes place on an almost naturalistic level. Sebastian Prantl’s choreography has also overcome dance theatre, for his work foregoes psychoanalysis and the display of emotional states. Even though his dancers react in psychologically motivated ways, they do so because they (we) are made of this psychologically emotional substance and not because they (we) are psychologically damaged in any way. Why they (we) are as they (we) are, interests neither the dancers nor Prantl nor the audience. The dancers have not wrenched its secret from space, but instead made it visible in its grand architecture. In the process, the perception of the audience being transformed and vividly changed.“
(Edith Wolf-Perez, Dance Journalist, founder of www.tanz.at)
Concept/Choreography: Sebastian Prantl
Music Concept/Piano: Cecilia Li…Live concert trio with compositions by Franz Schubert, Dmitri Shostakovich together with Klara Flieder (violin), Vincent Stadlmair (violoncello)
Dancing Protagonists: Ziya Azazi, Robert Eugene, Herbert Gottschlich, Othello Johns, Sebastian Prantl, Shih Kun-Chen
RB II: Doris Reisinger, Shih Kun-Chen, Ziya Azazi
RB III: Ingrid Reisetbauer, Julia Todd, Doris Reisinger, Ziya Azazi, Shih Kun-Chen, Michikazu Matsune
Light: Martin Walitza
Sound: Michael Renner
Premiered at Semper Depot, Vienna, April/May 1996
RBII: Premiered at TAW, November 1996
RBIII: Premiered at TAW, April 1997
International Dance Festival such as Bytom, Krakow, Kalish, Bratislava…. 1997/98