Daphna Horenczyk: rehearsal for birthing and dying

Geburt und Sterben, der Anfang und das Ende eines jeden Lebens sind der Ausgangspunkt von "Passage - rehearsal for birthing and dying". Gemeinsam mit fünf Performer_innen und einem Livemusiker spürt die Choreographin Daphna Horenczyk diesen beiden sehr unterschiedlichen und doch ähnlichen Momenten des Lebens nach. Mehr zur Entstehungsgeschichte verrät Daphna Horenczyk im Interview mit dem WUK Magazin.

In Passage - rehearsal for birthing and dying, 5 performers and one musician navigate through journeys in a birthing/dying-like state. They are existing in this transcendental state of consciousness accompanying birthing and dying; a state that forces one’s entire existence to the here and now and where pain and fear become material sources of inspiration. Moving from this state of openness, perceptiveness, and alertness offers an exploration of unfamiliar territories of creativity, expansion, multiple identities, and new paths into the subconscious. As the performers gradually submerge into transcendence in stillness, movement, and in sound, the viewer is invited to dive into an individual's process of dealing with birth and death, culminating in a collective celebration of life.

Daphna Horenczyk: The word 'rehearsal' came from the idea of meditating on birthing and dying as a preparation for those moments when they come. Instead of avoiding our death, we look it in the eye and accept that this is just the body. We understand that our body entails ancestral knowledge about how to give birth therefore we can let go of our attempt to control it and simply let it do its natural job. These acceptances must be practiced and embodied; thus, we can separate pain from suffering and observe sensations as they come. These ideas are the building blocks of the piece.

Birthing and dying, the beginning and end of every life - how did the theme for the performance come about and what influenced you to do it?

Daphna Horenczyk:  My recent life experiences presented me with a new perspective from which to explore this topic. In 6 months, I experienced my child's birth and my father's death. During the hours of labor before the first breath of my child, I was facing acute pain that blurred every rational thinking pattern and distorted my perception of time. There was no way for me to think or act linearly or methodically. I was in and out of my body at the same time, and it was beautiful. When I heard my father moaning in his last hours, I felt he was going through something similar. I could identify with his pain and struggle, and through his mumbling, I could sense he was in an altered state of consciousness. I think that the spiritual journeys of these processes, birthing and dying, are dramatically overlooked in our culture and therefore I would like to address them in public.

NADUVE, who is responsible for the live sound, will be on stage together with the performers. How did this setting come about?

Daphna Horenczyk: Since this performance is dealing with the tension between knowledge and uncertainty, the set and the spontaneous, it was essential for me to have the music played live. I was thinking of sounds that could support a meditative, transformative state, but not necessarily in the obvious way. I then had in mind to use club music. I have known Naduve for 10 years and apart from having a good working relationship, I admire him as a DJ. From discussions we had throughout the years, I felt we have a common understanding as to the state of the body and mind I was searching for. Also, as we both come from Tel Aviv we often have similar references which helps a lot in the work. 

You developed the choreography for "Passage - rehearsal for birthing and dying", it will be performed by Evandro Pedroni, Martina de Dominicis, Alina Bertha, Jolyane Langlois and Alberto Cissello. What was your collaboration like and how did you go about developing the performance?

Daphna Horenczyk: I started by inviting each performer for an individual 3-days research session. We explored the state that defines this work by meditating on one's birth and death. I was surprised by how deep each performer was willing to dive, and how bravely they all confronted their fears while improvising generously from this state. Moving from this state of openness, perceptiveness, and alertness allowed the performers to explore unfamiliar territories of creativity, expand their horizons of possibilities, and discover new paths of performativity. I then worked with them in different constellations, but still not with all 5 together, to understand if and how these experiences can co-exist. Only recently we met all together in the studio when each of them had already had their individual experience and history with this practice. Then we worked on intertwining these experiences as well as on finding a common one.