Krakowski Teatr Tańca » The Entrance

Choreography: Ayrin Ersöz

Music: Sergej Maingardt

Video: Grzegorz Mart

Performers: Pamela Bosak, Magdalena Skowron, Paweł Łyskawa, Eryk Makohon, Mateusz Ulczok

Producers: Krakow Dance Theatre Association, Institute of Music and Dance

The performance was created in cooperation with artists from three countries: choreographer Ayrin Ersöz (Turkey), composer Sergej Maingardt (Germany), video artist Grzegorz Mart (Poland) and dancers Paweł Łyskawa, Eryk Makohon (leaders of the Krakow Dance Theatre) and dancers associated with the Theatre - Pamela Bosak, Magdalena Skowron and Mateusz Ulczok. Touching upon the subject of the refugee crisis, Ersoz asks the question: why haven't we learned to introduce the Others into our world so far?

Problem of the entry of the Other into foreign societies resonates with history and is constantly present in today’s world. The Entrance explores the question of the validity of it, engaging artists from three countries: Poland, Turkey and Germany, therefore presenting different perspectives on the same topic. These differences are rooted in diverse social, economic, political and cultural contexts. In „The Entrance” Ersoz aims to transform humanitarian concern into an artistic form, which will shed light into - often not openly expressed - prejudices about refugees.

Stepping out from any form of representation, the performance focuses on HOPE, which motivates to embark on an exhausting and dangerous journey, which in many cases ends tragically. This unstoppable, boundless HOPE is almost impossible to trace in highly industrialized and modernized reality of the West. The HOPE understood in this context can be found only in liminal character of the dancing bodies, in their immense desire to dance, subjecting them to constant states of entry and exit from the choreographic structure. As Walter Benjamin once said, "It is only for the sake of those without hope that hope is given to us.”

The performance was co-produced by the Institute of Music and Dance as part of the Choreographic Orders 2019 programme. The premiere took place within the „Rollercoaster. Collectors of thrills” - the programme of contemporary dance presentations, pursued by Cricoteka since 2018.