Productions
- Foto: Alessandro De Matteis
- Foto: Stephan Glagla
- Foto: Stephan Glagla
Circular Vertigo
Duet of a dancer with a 100 kg pommel horse hanging from the ceiling.
Past dates
17.05.2023 – Tabori 2023, Berlin (Kurzversion)
28.01.2023 – HELLERAU, Dresden
27.01.2023 – HELLERAU, Dresden
13.11.2022 – Zeit für Zirkus | LATIBUL, Köln
12.11.2022 – Zeit für Zirkus | LATIBUL, Köln
05.10.2022 – (Rh)einfach Fest! | TanzFaktur, Köln
24.09.2022 – 20. Kölner Theaternacht (5x Kurzversion)
08.-11.09.2022 – Performance-Woche | LATIBUL, Köln
28.05.2022 – Ruhrfestspiele, Marl
27.05.2022 – Ruhrfestspiele, Marl
19.11.2021 – Theater in Bewegung/Tanzfestival, Jena
30.10.2021 – Performance-Woche | LATIBUL, Köln
29.10.2021 – Performance-Woche | LATIBUL, Köln
23.05.2021 – CircusDanceFestival | LATIBUL, Köln
22.05.2021 – CircusDanceFestival | LATIBUL, Köln
08.05.2021 – tanz nrw | Fabrik Heeder, Krefeld
30.04.2021 – tanz nrw | Ringlokschuppen Ruhr, Mülheim a.d. Ruhr
29.04.2021 – tanz nrw | Ringlokschuppen Ruhr, Mülheim a.d. Ruhr
12.02.2021 – tanz.tausch Festival, Köln (Live-Stream)
About the production
“Circular Vertigo” showcases a friction-filled encounter in which a delicate virtuosity develops between a dancer and a 100-kilogram massive pommel horse. It is a wild dance, a tender approach, dangerous tumbling and triumphant flights of fancy. Overhead Project reflects a social space in which female empowerment and self-determination must be worked for again and again.
“Circular Vertigo” deals with the geometric shape of the circle as a primordial form of attraction and occupies it classically with the encounter of a (pommel) horse and a dancer in the round of the arena.
A friction-filled encounter in which a delicate virtuosity develops between a dancer and the massive pommel horse. “Circular Vertigo” is a wild round dance, a tender approach, dangerous tumbling and triumphant flights of fancy.
Originating from the equestrian art of the 18th century, women in particular were able to find a place in the circus, among other things as celebrated artist stars o n horseback, far removed from classical family roles. By playfully occupying the center with an abstracted object of power - which at the same time dominates the circle and reminds us of the possibility of breaking out of rigid roles - Overhead Project reflects a social space in which female creative freedom, equal treatment and self-determination must be worked out again and again.
Starting point for "Circular Vertigo"
Following on from its longstanding preoccupation with the social mechanisms of architectural spatial arrangements, Overhead Project's current production cycle “Human, Hyperobject and Transformation” deals with the relationship between people and the things and objects that surround them, and explores the points of friction between the body, materiality and space. The focus is on the encounter between man and object, i.e. between the subject and his environment.
The French philosopher of science Bruno Latour speaks of horizontalization when he tries to see all actors* in a network as equal: Material and non-material, humans and non-humans. This posthumanist approach opposes an anthropocentric worldview in which humans see themselves as the center of worldly reality, degrading objects to a passive collection of material just waiting to be activated by humans.
Instead of viewing nature and the human-designed environment as terrain to be conquered and hyperobjects to be conquered, Latour speaks of encounters with humility. In this space of thought, Overhead Project elaborates current productions as human-object encounters to investigate the physical levels of relationship to objects and things, and to explore the role of humans in them.
To this end, the company works with metaphorically chargeable objects (pommel horse) in order to remove them from their familiar context (school and its hierarchies, Olympic gymnastics with its strict rules) and to allow new possibilities for thought to emerge.
One approach to rehearsal work is “tuning”. Instead of looking at what can be done with an object (virtuosically and technically), the company focuses, for example, on what is not possible with the object or what resonances are created by the presence of the object. To enhance this effect, the object will be placed in the rehearsal process, for example, already during the morning warm-up or during meetings in the space to enable interactions and resonances.
In the course of spring 2021, the production “Circular Vertigo” was created based on the research under pandemic conditions. The (digital) premiere took place on April 29, 2021 at Ringlokschuppen Ruhr in Mülheim as part of the festival tanz nrw.
Team
Artistic direction, choreography: Tim Behren
Performance, Research, Creation: Mijin Kim
Performance 2nd Cast, Research: Hrista Panayotova
Research, Outside Eye: Breno Caetano
Philosophical accompaniment: Eric Eggert
Light & stage design, costume design: Charlotte Ducousso
Musical composition, dramaturgy: Simon Bauer
tanz.match educational project: Hrista Panayotova, Eric Eggert, Jan Zobel, Tim Behren
Press reviews
Ode ans Objekt
(Tom Mustroph, Theater der Zeit – September 2021)
Eine Ode ans Objekt war daher auch die Eröffnungsproduktion des Festivals, „Circular Vertigo“. Das wichtigste Bühnenelement bildete ein Halbrund aus schmalen Spiegeln in unterschiedlicher Höhe. Sie wirkten wie eine ins Vertikale gekippte Klaviertastatur. Zu Klavierklängen bewegte sich davor dieTänzerin Mijin Kim. Sie zitierte Bewegungssequenzen von Pferden – und rief so vor dem inneren Augeplötzlich die Manege des traditionellen Zirkus wach, das Rund, gefüllt mit Menschen, Tieren,Sensationen. Später kam noch ein Pauschenpferd dazu. Es schwebte unterm Chapiteau, kreiste um dieTänzerin und wurde dann, am Boden angelangt, seinerseits von der Tänzerin umkreist. Am Ende sinddie Verhältnisse getauscht: Kim hängt am Seil und schwebt, das Pauschenpferdsteht unten. Und natürlich denkt man, dass es schaut.
Akrobatik trifft zeitgenössischen Tanz
(Isabel Mankas-Fuest, Rheinische Post Krefeld – 10. Mai 2021)
Die Tänzerin Mijin Kim zeigt in dem 45-minütigen Solo-Stück nicht nur wie Akrobatik undzeitgenössischer Tanz zusammenpassen, sondern auch, wieso der Tanz auf dem Pauschenpferd mit dem Thema Gleichberechtigung verknüpft ist.
Zwischen Taumeln und Triumph
(Bettina Trouwborst, Kulturwest – April 2021)
Overhead Project, ein Ensemble, das körperliche Risiken eingeht, setzt in der Uraufführung von „CircularVertigo“ auf ein Pauschenpferd–ein 100 Kilo schweres, von der Decke hängendes Turngerät. DieTänzerin Mijin Kim reitet es virtuos zwischen gefährlichem Taumeln und glücklichem Triumph
Partners & Supporters
An Overhead Project production, started within the framework of the Reload-Stipendium of the Kulturstiftung des Bundes (Federal Cultural Foundation). The Kulturstiftung des Bundes Bundes is funded by the Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien on the basis of a resolution of the German Bundestag.
Funded by NATIONALES PERFORMANCE NETZ – STEPPING OUT, sponsored by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media as part of the NEUSTART KULTUR initiative, a dance aid program, Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine- Westphalia, Cultural Office of the City of Cologne. Resumption 2022 funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, NRW Landesbüro Freie Darstellende Künste.
Co-produced by Ringlokschuppen Ruhr Mülheim and supported by LATIBUL - Theater- & Zirkuspädagogisches Zentrum Köln (formerly TPZAK).