Maja Delak: EXPENSIVE DARLINGS (Slovenia)

Sunday, August 24th at 10 pm
Stara mestna elektrarna – Elektro Ljubljana

WORDS, WORDS, WORDS
The status of the contemporary performance artist evokes the thought of a person in an underprivileged position. If the person in question happens to be a female, then the situation becomes truly unenviable. Expensive darlings is a reflection on the state of contemporary dance and women in our society, though not through the perspective of self-pity or the unmediated tackling of the problems or speaking in general. Critics have characterised the work as being one of the most engaged in recent years. Seven performers on a small stage explain their situations through intimate stories, their relationships with each other, as well as through movement, contemporary dance. They play stereotypical roles—everything from angels to matadors—making fun of them and doing what they like to do most—dance. Even when it is extremely difficult to do so.
At some point of the performance Maja Delak enacts Adriano Celentano, who sang about women and love in a funny macho way and all the other dancers on the stage could just continue to sing to all: makers of the cultural politics, men, power-holders and many others with the song Celentano also sang: Parole, parole, parole (Words, words, words).

Concept and choreography: Maja Delak
Artists and performers: Maja Delak, Katja Kosi, Barbara Krajnc, Jelena Rusjan, Vlasta Veselko, Urška Vohar, Nataša Živković
Dramaturgy: Katja Praznik
Set design: Marko Peljhan
Orginal music: Gipo Gurrado, Atilla Faravelli
Light design: Urška Vohar
Costume design: Nadja Bedjanič
Costumes: Dominika Zver
Design: Špela Drašler
Photography: Zoe Vincenti
Technical director: Janko Oven
Translation: Katja Kosi, Melita Silič
Language editing: Simona Ana Radež
Production: Zavod EMANAT
Coproduction: City of Women, Plesni Teater Ljubljana

60 minutes

The performance is in Slovene with consecutive translation to English.