Not – Not a Luv Duet

12th October 2009, 7:30 p.m., Komedie Theatre

Mariko Tanabe, dancer and choreographer from Montréal (Mariko Tanabe Danse) encounters Helge Letonja, dancer, choreographer and artistic director from steptext dance project Bremen in a new dance duet: a creative confrontation of their diverse ideas, esthetics and choreographic approaches, carried by the vigour of a rather unique 20-year friendship. “Not – Not a Luv Duet” unites two artists from two different continents with their artistic biographies and radically different artistic visions who use dance to gauge their inner bonding, which has continued over the course of time and within the realm of intimacy: A woman and a man not as lovers, but as friends.

Leaning back-to-back, one’s Left is the other one’s Right, they create a strange symbiosis of unity and confusion. Sorting through the traces of Mariko’s Japanese-Canadian roots and the history of the Austrian Helge with residency in Germany they reveal the many faces of their friendship and touch the intimate borders of their lives. Impulses from two distinctive artistic dance worlds form a richly contrasting choreographic language. Lightfoodedly the piece passes through everyday gestures as well as moments of existential challenge they have faced; both search bravely for painful biographical turning points, and, in the process, find their way to perfect physical poetry. “Not – Not a Luv Duet” is an artistic adventure full of risk – where life itself is dancing.

Not – Not a Luv Duet Not – Not a Luv Duet Close zoomed picture
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Photo: Merit Esther Engelke

Concept, Choreography, Dance: Mariko Tanabe & Helge Letonja l Artistic Collaboration / Dramaturgy: Marion Amschwand l Choreographic Consultant: Philip Szporer l Visual Concept: Mariko Tanabe & Helge Letonja l Set Realisation: Stefan Berthold l Light Design: Kaj Evers l Music: Collage and original compositions by Alexandre St. Onge l Production Assistant: Charlotte Gschwandtner l A Coproduction of Mariko Tanabe Danse (MTD), Montreal & steptext dance project, Bremen l Promoted by Canada Council for the Arts l This project was made possible by the assistance of TANZplan Bremen – Norddeutsches Tanztreffen (Dance in Bremen – Northern Germany Dance Gathering). TANZplan Bremen: Norddeutsches Tanztreffen is promoted by Tanzplan Deutschland (Dance in Germany). Tanzplan Deutschland is the result of an initiative of the Kulturstiftung des Bundes (Federal Cultural Foundation). TANZplan Bremen: Norddeutsches Tanztreffen is funded by the Bremer Senator für Kultur (Senator of Culture, State of Bremen).

www.steptext.de l www.marikotanabe.com
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