Clear sky turned upside down
A misty rain hit the ground
A misty rain hit the ground
The relationship to nature and the relationship between modern life and past times are the basis of Mia Štark's first author's dance piece. The author's interest is not motivated by environmental reasons, as one might guess, although the awareness of environmental preservation is present as a distant echo. In the foreground is the search for links with the origins of man in nature, the recognition of elements of pre-Christian culture and agricultural preconceptions of the world related to the cult of the earth and fertility rites which, transforming over time, managed to remain at least fragmentarily in the customs of the community, world view or language.
Our attitude towards appearances is fundamentally different from the understanding of our ancestors. A closer relationship and life in accordance with the changes of nature can already be observed in the generations of our grandparents, and as we dive into the past, it is increasingly obvious that nature once defined man's horizon, that is, that man saw himself as a part of the universe conditioned, determined and subordinated to natural forces. With the shift in civilisation, man sets himself in opposition to nature, diminishing the importance of its influence on life, suppressing its power, at the same time suppressing nature in himself, and positioning and affirming himself as a creator who gives meaning and meaning to everything that exists. Let the dewy rain fall on us focuses on the questions of whether dance and customs contained in folklore patterns, and handed down from agricultural rituals and Slavic mythology, arose from a sacred or social moment, how the sacred conditions the social, and vice versa, how these rituals change with the transition to Christianity and how to relate to heritage when, even in rural areas, there are no gatherings where communities address Nature with a symbolic gesture of customary repetition, relying on its wisdom of cyclical balancing.
Ivana Slunjski
Team:
Concept and choreography: Mia Štark
Dancers/Singers: Ivana Bojanić, Anna Javoran, Valentina Miloš
Concept and choreography: Mia Štark
Dancers/Singers: Ivana Bojanić, Anna Javoran, Valentina Miloš
Dramaturgy: Anna Javoran
Preparation of songs: Jasmina Bojić
Scenography: Kristina Marić Lozušić
Preparation of songs: Jasmina Bojić
Scenography: Kristina Marić Lozušić
Photography: Ante Delač, Mia Štark
Production: UPPU PULS in coproduction with ZPC, DOMINO, POGON Jedinstvo
Production: UPPU PULS in coproduction with ZPC, DOMINO, POGON Jedinstvo
Songs sung in the piece: Dodolska, Ljelje Kraljice, Kiša pada, Oj Zagoro
(The songs are traditional Croatian folklore songs)
Thank you to Tessa Ljubić, Dora Kokolj, Multimedia hut, Zagreb dance center and Damir Bralić for their support.
Special thanks to Lorena Vlahovski, Elena Štrok, Jasmina Bojić and Teuta Gatolin for participating and also being part of this community.
The project is financially supported by the city of Zagreb and Croatian Ministry of culture and media.
Zagreb, 2022
