TODAY EVERYTHING

In our latest performance titled Today, Everything, we drew our inspiration from a part of the Bible’s Old Testament, called the Book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes). This ancient text describes the author’s process of finding the meaning of one’s own existence. By describing his research and the conclusions he manages to arrive at, the author gives a testimony of his perception of the world as ever-changing, where no resolution can be final, and yet, he seems to hold an opinion that the very act of searching can be ‘the’ final answer in itself.

As a continuation of that thought, during our work on Today, Everything, we tried to explore the mode of making constant attempts and efforts. Accordingly, arriving at some solutions as a group or as individuals, as well as finding agreement or disagreement among us, formed the very subject matter of our exploration. We find it relevant to also use that theme here, in the context of Too Soon, Too Late at BOZAR in May 2018. Considering the socio-political situation after WWI, the birth of the avant-garde movement, and finally the event itself, a setting is formed where an effort and attempt to define a new set of common rules, and a collective search to find answers can take place. Our participation in the event at BOZAR thus draws in part on the stage performance Today, Everything, specially adapted here to the public space.

Performance created within the programme “Choreographic Call 2017” of the Polish Institute of Music and Dance (IMiT).

What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.
All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
The Book of Kohelet 1:3-1:10

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
The Book of Kohelet 3:1-3:8

Jakub Truszkowski began his dance training in 1987 at the State Ballet School in Gdansk where he obtained his degree in 1996. Between 1994 and 1996, he performed as a student in several classical pieces at the Opera House in Gdansk. In 1996 he was admitted to Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s contemporary dance school P.A.R.T.S. After graduating in 1999 he joined the company Rosas, where between 2000-2006, and 2010-2016, he performed in Drumming, Mozart / Concert Arias, and Grosse Fugeand Mikrokosmoss and participated in the creation of In Real Time, Rain, April Me, Repertory Evening XX, Bitches Brew / Tacoma Narrows and Kassandra. In 2007 he joined the company Les Ballets C de la B, dancing in Import Export and Ashes. Between 2013–2015 he was a programme coordinator at P.A.R.T.S. Currently he is a guest teacher at P.A.R.T.S. as well as in several other places including De Theaterschool (Amsterdam), The Folkwang University of the Arts (Essen), Springboard (Montreal) and Rosas dance company. As rehearsal director, he has staged Rosas repertory at P.A.R.T.S., Opera de Lyon, Opera de Paris, Gothenburg Opera and Companhia Nacional de Bailado of Portugal. His personal creations include: Solo For The Projector, Bodyscapes, Walking Duet, Memory Reset, White Noise, and Dzisiaj Wszystko. He is a co-founder and a performer at The House of Bertha dance collective in Brussels.

Katarzyna Chmielewska graduated from the National Ballet School in Gdańsk (1984-1993), studied at P.A.R.T.S in Brussels (1996-1997) and in 1993-1994 danced with the Ballet Group of the Baltic State Opera House in Gdańsk and Gdańsk Dance Theatre (1994-1995). Since 1992, together with Leszek Bzdyl, she has run the Dada von Bzdülöw Theatre. As part of her artistic career in the theatre, she has run workshops of contemporary dance technique and improvisation, including Dada Hub at the Bay of Art in Sopot (annual choreographic summer workshop), and has made original choreographies, such as so beautiful (2002), Complexion (2007), FRUU (2011) and Why don’t you like sadness? (2016). Katarzyna has co-created and appeared in most dada productions, including Magnolia (2003); Several Witty Observations (2004), produced within Trans Dance Europe Network and shown at LaMaMa in New York (2006/07) and in India (2007); Factor T (2008), coproduced with Dance Advance, Philadelphia & Art Station Foundation, Poznań; Red Grass (2009); Caffè Latte (2009); Le Sacre (2010); Invisible Duets (2012), shown in South Korea (2012) and China (2012); Play it, so 17 dances about something (2013); INTRO (2015), shown in New York’s Rehearsal for Truth Festival in Sept 2017; and Today, Everything (premiere 2017). She has been a regular contributor to the performances of other choreographers including Roberto Olivan, Malgven Gerbes and David Brandstätter, and has also created scenic movement for dramatic theatres.