Via Negativa: THE NINTH
Photo: Marcandrea
Gallop through Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. From absolutism to socialism… From defeatism to optimism… From populism to vulgarism… Welcome in the stable of humanism.
The Ninth runs through the entire sound landscape of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. On the one side a “masterpiece of the western civilization:” “Giant and complex.” “Sublime.” “Striking example of human spirit.” “Triumphant vision of brotherhood.” Beethoven’s 9th. On the other side us: Naked and suspicious. Nothing great about us. Nothing triumphant. Not sublime but explicit. Not complex but reduced. Horses.THE NINTH is based on thoughts by Giorgio Agamben on humanism as the anthropological machine – the procedure based on a systematic suspension of animal, and Peter Sloterdijk’s observations that civilisation as the project of »the taming of man has failed.«
“Ode to Joy. Five naked performers sit in chairs and gallop with legs. Performers who think horses. Half men and half horses. Magnificent.” (Fokuspokus Ljubljana / 28. 10. 2016 / Jedrt Jež Furlan)
“Dance of five bodies reduced on the movements of their legs is a virtuoso, full of semantic power and expressive, trash-sublime quality.” (Radio Študent, Ljubljana / 27. 10. 2016 / Nenad Jelesijević)
Conceived and devised by the group.
Performers: Loup Abramovici, Grega Zorc, Jaka Lah, Anita Wach, Magdalena Tuka Concept and direction: Bojan Jablanovec
Choreographic supervision: Anita Wach
Music: Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 9, Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, 1983
Horse masks: Barbara Stupica
Light design: Igor Remeta
Video: Ana Čigon
Stage manager: Igor Remeta
Producer: Špela Trošt
Production: Via Negativa
Co-producer: JaJaJa NeNeNe Association Warsaw
Partners: Bunker Ljubljana / A Part Festival Katowice / Fundacja Ciało/Umysł Warsaw
The project is supported by the City of Ljubljana and Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland.
70 min
Information and ticket reservation: info@bunker.si
Tickets: 10 eur, 7 eur (students, seniors)