Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1037099
5 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 OCTOBER 2018 THIS WEEK DANCE It's Schiller! features dancers Georg Bergmann, Marc Borras Llopis, Rodolfo Piazza Pfitscher da Silva, Valenti Rocamora i Torà and Eva Thielken associations to the story's historical background and to Turkish-Arabic culture. We wanted to create a ho- mogenous and modern aesthetic that also connects to the historical nature of the narrative. In my artistic work, I am very much focused on the various possibilities of the relationship between dance and music. Working with dancers and singers on stage is a great opportuni- ty which influences the inner rythm of the piece as a whole. What would you say are some of the key thematic elements of the piece, and how did you seek to ensure they still feel timely and relevant? One important thematic element is the sense of claustrophobia that en- velops the island of Malta during the Great Siege. Then, there's a focus on classical ideas of what makes a hu- man being; like inclination vs duty, and what's worth sacrificing one's life for, if anything at all? Morality, re- sponsibility, obedience... the conflict between "animal" and the "spiritual" nature of man. A key factor is also the decidedly masculine society that makes up the Order, and the relationships of dif- ferent nationalities. There is conspir- acy, disobedience, insurrection, love, homosexual love, fatherly love… In fact, it is an early European Com- munity with all of its nationalistic jealousy and its cultural conflicts. There will be no attempt to sim- ply "replay" the fragments on stage, or – for example – assume the role of the Grandmaster. What the audi- ence will experience will be contem- porary people using their preferred artistic medium to translate the frag- ments into a particular art form. The performance is an aesthetic-spatial experimental field. A piece of art is relevant for me when it touches the emotions of the audience. How do you feel about performing this piece in Malta? What kind of atmosphere are you expecting from the island, and what do you hope Maltese audiences will get out of the production? Originally we wanted to perform 'It's Schiller!' inside Fort St Elmo – the original setting in Schiller's fragments. As this proved to be im- possible for various reasons we were very lucky to have found the great support from Teatru Salesjan. I am really looking forward to present my performance to the Maltese audi- ence there. A performance which is strongly connected with their capital and reflects the troubles and possi- bilities of our human community. It's Schiller! will be staged at Teatru Salesjan, Sliema on October 12 and 13 at 20:00. Endorsed by the Valletta 2018 Foundation, the show is a co- production of Irina Pauls, Schaubüh- ne Lindenfels Leipzig, a cappella e. V. – Association for the support of vocal music and Speck's Erbe Düssel- dorf and co-financed by the German- Maltese Circle, the Goethe Institute Brussels and the City of Leipzig. Book- ings: http://ticketline.com.mt/ Siege