Betontanc: ON THREE SIDES OF HEAVEN

Photo: Simon Stojko Falk

Life is the best revenge.
»And in those days shall men seek death,
and shall not find it; and shall desire to die,
and death shall flee from them.«
(Revelation 9,6)

We started our journey slowly, cautiously, with some kind of modesty, almost with prudence, as if all our steps, gestures and glances were of equal importance, as if it were necessary to ponder, decide with difficulty and only then make the next step, as if we were convinced that although people could travel from one town to another, from one land to another, they could never return to yesterday.

We did not waste our words, in order not to create the empty buzz which is so characteristic of our time, and in our silence we were afraid to admit that we were walking in circles and that our steps were not leading anywhere except back to ourselves, for how big are Great Emotions allowed to be at a moment when you are lost and at the same time afraid that you might step onto the slope of madness and spend the rest of your miserable life listening to noise created by men applauding with only one hand? Because if you wish to write verses about Great Emotions, it is best to wait from them to pass. That peaceful day might come when you will be able to have a look at all this pathos and count to five without having to stop at three because your face has turned red and your breath has accelerated your heartbeat. Bur first you have to write all this pathos down, otherwise it is lost forever. It is necessary to prescribe, the way doctors do, and to write and copy. Only then does a poem emerge about how you cannot escape from the labyrinth any other way but flying. And once you fly, you have only two possibilities: either falling or flying too close to the sun, like Icarus did. Both are encounters with death. If death wants to meet you, that is. Because we are people, from whom even death flees.

Each generation`s final destination is the sky. It is true that there are several ways of getting there, but each person chooses his own, according to his logic and, above all, according to the map of his heart.

Credits

Directed by: Matjaž Pograjc
Performed by: Alma Blagdanič, Igor Dragar, Janja Majzelj, Blažka Mueller, Ivan Peternelj, Branko Potočan, Matej Recer
Set design: Tomaž Štrucl
Costume design: Uroš Belantič
Light design: Andrej Hajdinjak, Piškotdesign
Integral image: Iztok Lovrič
Photography: Matej Trnkoczy
Production: Glej Theatre
Co-production: Cankarjev dom
Production was financed by: Ministry of Culture, City Council of Ljubljana
Sponsors: Ljubljanska banka,Tiskarna Ljubljana

Performances

Premiere:
22nd February 1997, International festival SARAJEVSKA ZIMA, Sarajevo

Up-coming performances: /

Past performances:
February 1997, SARAJEVSKA ZIMA, Sarajevo
October 1997, BORŠTNIKOVO SREČANJE, Maribor
December 1997, HALLE AUX GRAINS, Blois
May 1998, GRAND THEATRE, Groningen
July 1998, DRODESERA FESTIVAL, Dro

Press

Press (pdf)

Video

Video: Bunker archive
Editors: Gregor Gobec, Urška Boljkovac

Photos

Photo: Simon Stojko Falk