BASSA CONTINUA
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TANJA SKOK
BRANKO ŽAK VALENTA / MILAN TOMAŠIK, TANJA SKOK
DARIO MARUŠIČ
LARA BADURINA
MARTA VRHOVEC
ANDREJ HAJDINJAK
MARCO BEASLEY
Produced by: PLESNI TEATER LJUBLJANA
Premiered in Ljubljana, April, 2005
Director: Živa Brecelj; Executive producer: Katja Somrak; Artistic director of PTL: Sinja Ožbolt; Sound: Jon Brecelj ; Light technician: Danilo Pečar; Set construction: Igor Remeta; Photo: Miha Fras
BASSADANZA is an early Renaissance court dance, which was in use mostly in the 15th and in the beginning of the 16th century. The exact sources come from various manuscripts mostly from northern Italy, Burgundy, Netherlands and England. One of the earliest written sources where the name bassa danza appeared is in the Spanish poem La Danza de la Muerte, in which a king refuses the invitation to dance with the Death.
The peculiarity of this dance is in its free form. The dance is not following a specific repetitive pattern but it merely offers an exact movement vocabulary which was then used in choreographed dances for two, three or four people. The 15th century dance master Cornazano branded it Queen of Dance, as it is slow and majestic in its movement and full of intricacies. The minimalist framework of the dance requires from the dancer a great amount of attention to express grace, control of the body and space.
The basic inspiration for this dance performance is the fresco of The Dance Macabre (Johannes of Kastau, 1498) located in the small church of Hrastovlje in Slovenian Istria.
I searched behind the visual of the fresco the messages and the symbolisms which survived the passage of time. Their meaning still touches us on various levels.As the fresco continues to live with its different fasets to this day, the Bassadanza from the past CONTINUA.
Choreography:
Dancers and co-authors:
Music:
Stage design:
Costumes:
Light design:
Voice:
View the full video : http://vimeo.com/57666622