FAMILY

For the last couple of years, Roberta Milevoj’s choreographies have been exploring the relationship between the natural and the artificial space, looking for ways in which natural emotional experiences can be transformed into the artificial spaces of a performance. In her new piece, her original exploration of the concept of nature and its relationship with choreography is connected with the exploration of the relationships in the world of animals or, more precisely, that of elephants. As a species gradually going extinct in nature, the elephant becomes the basis for the creation of a special dance language which examines the concept of community and begins to function as a metaphor for relationships among humans.

While analysing the footage and photographs of communities of African elephants and observing the complex laws relating to their behaviour, the choreographer paid special attention to the recognition of the potential of their physical and emotional intelligence, and their moving habitus became a template for a dance piece in which eight dancers create different perspectives of the relationship and experience of the performance space. By reshaping the original natural structures, by translating them into the artificial performance space, the piece creates a specific choreographic community which is formed from the discourse about nature, and becomes the discourse about corporality. Through exploring the world of animals, Family presents on stage the issues of co-existence in the world of humans, looking for new meanings of active presence in the community.

Choreography: Roberta Milevoj

Dancers: Filipa Bavčević, Silvija Dogan, Antonia Dorbić, Ana Jelušić, Katarina Rilović, Sara Škrobe, Lana Šprajcer, Mia Zalukar

Music: Nenad Sinkauz

Lighting design: Bojan Gagić

Advisor: Matija Ferlin

Graphic design: Mauricio Ferlin

Photography: Damir Žižić

Translation: Ana Uglešić

Production: Roberta Milevoj ( Nikad kraja ) and Multimedijalna koliba

Residency and financial support:

Pogon – Zagreb Centre for Independent Culture and Youth as part of the Pogonator programme, San Vincenti Mediterranean Dance Centre, Zagreb Dance Centre, Ganz novi festival organised by the Zagreb Student Centre initiative Kultura promjene

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia and Zagreb Office for Education, Culture and Sports