The Roma are an ethnic minority constantly suffering from open racism. The choreographer Constanza Macras has been researching Roma life since 2010 and has gathered an ensemble of Roma musicians, performers, dancers of her company and amateurs of all ages for Open for Everything – a journey not only into Roma culture, but also into ourselves. On programme on June 5th and 6th, New Stage of the National Theatre.In the choreographies of Constanza Macras, dance is a social movement. The Argentine-born, Berlin-based artist and her company DorkyPark unite dancers and themes drawn from all over the world: their spheres of activity range from Bombay to Brazil; consumerism and urban identity, migration, segregation and the clash of cultures are their subjects. Yet their works are not political pamphlets but highly personal encounters, touching, poetic and always on the lookout for a different viewpoint. Since 2010, Macras has been investigating lifestyles, dances and music of the Roma people in Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, in the process assembling a large ensemble composed of Roma musicians and performers, dancers of her own company and amateurs of different age groups. Together, they will perform Open for Everything – a journey to Europe’s periphery, located at its very heart. This region alone is inhabited by 10 to 12 million Roma threatened by open racism as an ethnic minority, as clearly demonstrated by recent group deportations from France and physical attacks in Hungary. Poverty, discrimination, exclusion and prejudice determine their daily lives. They are called “gypsies” to imply “thieves and beggars”. Their culture is sentimentalised. Their statelessness prevents their settling down anywhere; for them, mobility means nothing but deportation and forced relocation. Open for Everything is a dramatic piece about life next door to us – about the Roma, and about ourselves.
The production will be created by Constanza Macras in cooperation with Roma musicians, dancers and amateurs of different ages from Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic, and with six performers from the dance company CONSTANZA MACRAS | DorkyPark who come from Israel, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, the Czech Republic and South-Korea. More: http://www.novascena.cz/en/repertoar/603.html
Josef Bartos
Thank you for your thoughts. One got stuck in my mind – that passion makes us different from AI. Just yesterday I read…I am a dance critic. I am a member of an endangered species