> I'll be back
I'll be back - UTOPISISTAS
I'll be back
Premiere: 20.10.2021, Tanzhaus Zurich
In I’ll be back, the dance collective UTOPISISTAS explores notions of the self, pitches individual fulfilment against serving the common good (or vice versa) and exploits the full potential that lies in interdependencies. Supported by a soundscape composed of their voices and using improvisation in movement and speech to harness the power of the spontaneous, Matilda Bilberg, Nerea Gurrutxaga, Jenna Hendry and Maria Teresa Tanzarella dance and talk themselves into a multiple being with a collective body and a shared consciousness. In the process, they both satisfy and undermine our need for synchronicity and symbiosis, creating a sparkling, highly charged and often humorous piece, which not only reflects UTOPISISTAS’ collaborative and non-hierarchical approach to performance making but also raises quite a few timeless questions along the way: Do I end where you begin? Or do I exist only through you? And if so: Can we co-create a self? Or are we alone? Forever?
We are a wondering, wondrous being,
visiting an uncanny world and that other planet.
We will sweat for you.
We will be challenged.
As will you.
But don’t worry: We will also sing for you.
So let us gather all of our existing mutants.
Let us assemble our multiple self.
The four dancers and choreographers Matilda Bilberg (SE), Jenna Hendry (CH), Nerea Gurrutxaga (ES) and Maria Teresa Tanzarella (IT/SE) formed the collective UTOPISISTAS in 2018. Since then, they have been collaborating in Switzerland, Sweden and Belgium. I’ll be back is the first full-length dance piece.
Tour dates:
07.02.2023 Västerås Sweden
02.-03.12.2022 Bytom, Poland
20.10.2022 Bilbao, Basque Country
10.-12.03.2022 Dansens Hus, Stockholm Sweden
21.-24.10.2021 Tanzhaus Zurich Switzerland
20.10.2021 PREMIERE Tanzhaus Zurich Switzerland
Credits
Concept, choreography and performance: Matilda Bilberg, Nerea Gurrutxaga, Jenna Hendry and Maria Teresa Tanzarella
Dramaturgy: Simon Froehling
Sound: Moritz Alfons and Luz González
Light: Thomas Giger
Costumes: Mat Voorter and Pepa Canel
Production management: Hélène Hüsler
Dramaturgical support Tanzhaus Zürich: Lea Moro
Video and photography: Michelle Ettlin
Illustration and graphic design: Fabio Bergaglio
Coproduction: Tanzhaus Zürich
Residency partners: Swedish Arts Grants Committee (SE), Höjden (SE), Cie Thor (BE)
With the support of: Stadt Zürich Kultur, Fachstelle Kultur Kanton Zürich, Swedish Arts Grants
Committee, Ernst Göhner Stiftung, Elisabeth Weber Stiftung,
Migros Kulturprozent Zürich, Helge Ax:son Johnsons Stiftelse.
Choreographers at work! - A documentary series about creation processes in contemporary dance by Mona De Weerdt and Michelle Ettlin.
The second portrait in the documentary series Choreographers at Work! is devoted to the collective work and rehearsal processes employed by UTOPISISTAS. It shows the four dancers and choreographers Jenna Hendry, Matilda Bilberg, Maria Teresa Tanzarella and Nerea Gurrutxaga working together on their production I'll be back (2021). The film captures elements such as vocal and movement research, the four dancers' search for synchronicity in improvised unison, and their negotiation and decision-making processes. Viewers experience how the piece’s theme of the dissolution of the self is explored during rehearsals through dance and choreography, as well as the challenges that collective artistic work entails.
For booking requests or other inquiries please contact:
jildabendry@gmail.com
Follow IG: @utopisistas