Frenák Company, Birdie

Confinement and isolation, freedom and endlessness. FrenÁk’s emotionally charged choreographic structures use dynamic forms of movement to gain visibility and captivate the audience. The performance moves on the borderline between harsh reality and imaginary visions, where listening to our inner voices demands an unconscious balancing act on the edge of madness. The Birdie of the title, which also drew inspiration from William Wharton, seeks a way out of the revolving metal structure of a labyrinth. The dancers forge a path through an invisible maze that is in constant motion at once in the vertical and horizontal plane, while the spinning element opens up new spatial forms and enables a whole new world of movement. The concept and soul of the piece convey the idea that if we deny the world transparency and the ability to sense perspective, as well as the freedom of movement, it will rebound on us as psychological and physical trauma. Accorging to FrenÁk: “Our whole lives are a madhouse. To what extent this is a symptom of our age is difficult to determine. I was interested in how we handle our personal circumstances within this realm, in whether we are able to rise up from our own confinement.”

The premiere was an event of the Budapest Spring Festival, presented by Müpa Budapest and National Dance Theatre.

Program and cast

dance: Péter Holoda
Dominik Gyugos
Gergő Cserháti
Emma Lőrincz
Zsolt Szlavoszky
Eoin Mac Donncha
Latasha Pugh

cello: Endre Kertész

Creators:

music: Norman Levy

lighting: Máté Vajda

set design: Dániel Lakos, Tervhivatal/Planbureau

choreography and concept: FrenÁk

costume designer: Victoria Frenak

alpine technology: György Zoltai