Concept and choreography: Igor Koruga
Dramaturgy and text: Dimitrije Kokanov
Music: Vladimir Pejković
Light design: Boris Butorac
Performers: Mariana Gavriciuc, Tamara Pjević, George Alexandru Pleșca, Hunor Joseph Varga, Jakša Filipovac
Photo: Igor Koruga
Production: Marijana Cvetković, Olivera Kecojević, Teona Milićević, Station Service for contemporary dance
Co-production: National Dance Center Bucharest & Brain Store Project Foundation Sofia through South-East European Dance Stations (SEEDS), APAP-Feminist Futures, Culture moves Europe & Goethe-Institute mobility grant; Creative Europe program of the European Union; Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia; TanzFabrik Berlin e.g. Residency; Tenerife LAV Residency Program;
Thanks: Magacin Cultural Center Belgrade; Atelje 212 Theatre Belgrade;
// contemporary dance show // Serbia // duration 60 min.
// show recommended for audiences over 18 years old
This dance performance critically analyzes various normative mechanisms of oppression, control, and exploitation of the personal sphere – gender, sexuality, desire, feelings, the body – in which capitalism, patriarchy, and other systems of repression intersect and interact today. Drawing from the theoretical framework of queer Marxism, which examines the conjunctions between capitalism, class struggle, and queer culture and questions traditional Marxist analyses and queer politics, this performance emphasizes the fluidity and complexity of identity as a starting point for critical analysis and contemplation of a just future.
By comparatively analyzing the intersections of queer culture, art, and Marxist ideology within socialist/communist and capitalist societies (Yugoslavia, Romania, Russia, USA, Great Britain) – the choreographic research and construction of movement material took place in an area of exploration of artistic practices that have, over time, turned against social and state dogmatism, hegemony, authoritarianism, and depoliticization.
Examples studied include: the somatic practice of partisan dances in interwar Yugoslavia; performance art techniques from the punk counterculture, new conceptual art and pop art in socialist Yugoslavia; queer-artistic opposition in communist Romania; queercore practices of the new American left, etc. The work explores the legacy of queer emancipation through a continuous process of constitution and deformation of resistance influenced by both Western “liberal” societies and socialist values for a just society.
This work has been produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents can in no way be taken to reflect the official position of the European Union.
The show Unstable Comrades is presented within the CONNECT Contemporary Dance Festival, 3rd edition, produced by the Delazero Association, with the support of the “Marin Sorescu” National Theatre Craiova and co-financed by the National Cultural Fund Administration (AFCN). The project does not necessarily represent the position of the National Cultural Fund Administration. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or for the way in which the project results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding beneficiary.
