On Friday 11th of September, three doll-like women in long lavishly decorated wedding dresses set off across the stage of Studio Alta as if there were marked out lines. A dancing actress Vanda Hybnerová and acting dancers Lucia Kašiarová and Tereza Ondrová scuttled in small steps into all directions and from time to time they passed each other like bumper cars.
The author performance Hit by a Flower directed by Petra Tejnorová and collective was the first premier of the new season in Studio Alta. It definitely managed to fulfil the wish of the authors, which was to present some sort of a journey to the complex female psyche. The piece reveals it with a good portion of irony, exaggeration and humour. At the same time, traces of anxiety and hysteria backed up by – sometimes maybe too loud – noises were not missing either.
Why do women suffer? That was the first question of the evening, which Lucia Kašiarová wrote in a scrawling hand on a whiteboard. She gave the audience an accusing look and then let them answer this acute question themselves.
Noises, music and words
What followed was approximately an hour of fast changing of choreographies in various styles, rather calm, but not any less emotive actors’ monologues and theoretical lectures on the imaginary forestage of a hall No. 30, ranging from funny to absurd.
The noises permeated with a wide variety of musical genres. Accompanied by Mozart’s A Little Night Music, the trio of women started to play with subtle face twitching, which culminated up to massive spasms convulsing the whole body. The classical melody gradually turned into a modern rhythm. In this way the heroines freed themselves from the tight clench of the white dresses, they took a deep breath and distinctly said what was annoying them: “Why are women expected to shave? Why are they supposed to marry and give birth? Why is it so common that a woman with short hair has to face suspicion of being a man or a lesbian?”
Each of the women in the piece represented a different character or even a whole range of different characters. In front of the audience there were living emancipated women and women of the high life, but also poor women, silly women, women on bikes and passionate women. Cardboard signs, hidden in various places on the scene, bore an infinite number of labels that can be attributed to women. The audience could also participate in this part, as close to the end of the performance the actresses gave them paper and markers. This led to creation of writings like “woman is God” or “young and pregnant woman”.
Emotive and energetic choreographies
It is obvious that Vanda Hybnerová’s movement skills can’t reach the level of Lucie Kašiarová and Tereza Ondrová who are professional and award-wining dancers. On the other hand, the actor succeeded in turning an understandable disadvantage into an advantage. She enlivened the choreography, uplifted its expression and added a touch of wit.
The spectators could only guess that some moments had originated in mistakes, for example when Hybnerová was late on the beat, but in the end they just had fun watching the convincing portrayal of a woman that works her butt off as if she was in a gym.
The most impressive choreographic moment of the whole show was definitely the scene in which Tereza Onderová dances on the hit Chandelier sang by the Australian singer Sia. The dancer in a black bob-cut wig sometimes overtly copied the original choreography from the clip to this song, danced by a young girl Maddie Ziegler. But every now and then she deviated from it and by movement and expression showed she was not a young girl. She was an adult. Moreover, she is the woman with short hair, as you can see once her wig falls off in the middle of dancing.
This moment of the performance in which humour was suddenly replaced by seriousness managed to sweep along the audience and resulted in a sincere applause at the open stage.
Flowers for both the actresses and the audience
It is nice when you as a spectator get a flower when entering the auditorium and it is fun to watch the same flower falling to the feet of actresses during the final applause. This was perhaps an intention that referred to the very title of the performance. However, without a direct participation of the audience it might not have worked. Luckily, the spectators aren’t stupid and moreover, they were excited enough to reward the actresses with a shower of flowers. It must be said that the trio of protagonists deserved such a reaction for their performance and tremendous commitment.
Too loud music was the only thing that disrupted the delight of the performance. The authors or the soundman might not have thought so, but the crouching audience clearly did.
The performance Hit by a Flower is a mosaic which allows the spectator to put together a picture of what women are like. On the other hand, it doesn’t make it easier to understand them. It is very probable that the spectators will be amused but also confused. If their curiosity prevails, they might decide to come and see the piece once again. That would definitely give them a chance to reveal many other meanings that they missed the first time around.
Written from the premiere on 11 September, Studio Alta.
Hit by a Flower
Story writer: Petra Tejnorová and coll.Direction: Petra Tejnorová
Choreography: Jaro Viňarský
Music: Jiří Konvalinka Translation: Zuzana Sovová
Josef Bartos
Thank you for your thoughts. One got stuck in my mind – that passion makes us different from AI. Just yesterday I read…I am a dance critic. I am a member of an endangered species