AL DESNUDO
This new Metamorphosis Dance project shows the public the pillars on which the creative process of the artists’ tandem is sustained. It is a contemporary dance show that approaches the couple’s creative instruments with the help of the visual artist Danilo Moroni. An artistic “nude” in which you can read the guidelines of the choreographic language of Metamorphosis Dance. To do this, the piece oscillates between different intensities of movement, which gradually materialize in the body of both artists.
What are the things that the public cannot normally see? How does a dancer’s imagination work during an improvisation? How do we breathe? The nude arises in response to many questions that are normally beyond the viewer’s perception. In the words of Ansa and Bacovich, “we were interested in investigating how a show can be perceived from another point of view.”
Al desnudo is a demanding and dynamic show, in which music and movement fuse fluently. In a game of contrasts, the sensuality of the beginning, a classic duet to the rhythm of Philip Glass, gives way, little by little, to a very physical and explicit dance, guided by the compositions of Johan Wieslander. The lighting was designed by the light craftsman Danilo Moroni, who was the third protagonist of Al desnudo as the interpreters themselves. A vital naturalism takes over the stage, that involves the viewer in a continuous crescendo as the piece develops.
“As artists, we love the process,” say the creators. To show how they put together their choreographic material, Al desnudo integrates different elements in a sort of dynamic stage laboratory, which, starts with an initial duo, and gradually goes on deconstructing the following scenes. Screenings, music, technique, guided improvisation and the voice-over of Aia Kruse Goenaga, who interprets texts by Ansa and Bacovich, join hands on stage. The show combines the projections of a previously recorded video and the streaming of what is happening live on stage. The piece starts from an intimate space, in continuous transformation, to immerse the viewer in that exquisite environment that so characterizes the work of Metamorphosis Dance.
About the videos
Throughout their careers, Iratxe Ansa and Igor Bacovich have worked with numerous visual artists in different parts of the world, making all kinds of video art pieces, site-specific, video dance, experimentations ... From all these synergies and collaborations, they have discovered a new way of seeing dance and projecting it. The video allows them to offer new points of view to the viewer. For Igor Bacovich, “before creating Al desnudo we had the idea of working on stage with the photography spotlights. Choreographically they gave us a lot of inputs and we began to experiment to see how far we could go with the use of these lights. We wanted to show those things that we use in the studio, but then are not seen when we go on stage. And now we felt the need to talk about the process, on the other side, about the deconstruction of a finished work”.
About the music of Al desnudo
“That splendid music by Philip Glass that plays at the beginning of the show seemed very powerful to us to talk about the relationship between two people. It is very emotional, it transmits a tension that fits perfectly with the conflictive relationship of a couple, which is what we wanted to show. In contrast, we wanted the second part of the show to be based on contemporary music. This album by composer Johan Wieslander is very refined techno, with many sublayers; it is a very complex and beautiful composition. It works very well with the use of lights on stage, which serve to define the spaces, since it is a work in continuous transformation. Music and lighting have helped us create a reduced space at the beginning of the show, on which little by little we are adding new layers, with more lights, more depths and new places”.
About the creative process
“Al desnudo brings together everything that interests us: art, fashion, installation and image. Ours is a fairly explicit physical language. Al desnudo shows two dancers who are also choreographers giving all their all on stage. For us, the pursuit of excellence is something that never ends. Continue research is what amuses us. Our passion leads us to always want to improve and demand more of ourselves. We don’t know how to work any other way”. Iratxe Ansa.
“In Metamorphosis Dance we have a premise: the most important thing is not what you do, but how you do it. It is not the what, if not the how. Our way of understanding dance is crystallized in that investigation, in that mystery; this is where our true passion lies. This is also shown in Naked. At the choreographic level, Iratxe and I have a common philosophy: we both believe in the art of dance. They are bigger words. Dance is a necessity for us. So there is always a certain tension in our work and in our method. When we enter the studio, we enter a sacred place. We immerse ourselves in a creative environment, in which you get lost and don’t stop finding new things. Tireless research is also our engine.” Igor Bacovich.
Duration: 55 minutes.
Choreography and interpreters: Iratxe Ansa, Igor Bacovich
Visual Artist: Danilo Moroni
Música: Philip Glass, Johan Wieslander
Musical adjustments: Miguel Angel Burgos
Light desing: Danilo Moroni
Costumes: Carmen Granell
Text: Iratxe Ansa, Igor Bacovich
Voice: Aia Kruse Goenaga
Production: Spectare
Premiere: 26 June 2020, Festival Madrid en Danza, Sala Roja, Teatros del Canal