Ana González Vañek
Founded in March 2002, Albanian Dance Theater Company is the first independent contemporary dance company in Albania. The group develops a contemporary dance repertoire, offering a new dance aesthetic in Albania by encouraging dancers and choreographers to reach more freedom on stage through body language. In this interview, Founder and Choreographer of Albanian Dance Theater Company and Artistic Director of Albania Dance Meeting-Festival, Gjergj Prevazi, tells us all about their works, the objectives of the company -including the impact of the pandemic- and what he understands by communicating through dance.
Courtesy of Gjergj Prevazi
DC: -When was Albanian Dance Theater Company born and which are your main objectives?
GP: Albanian Dance Theater Company was founded in March 2002. It is the first independent dance company in Albania and its main objective is to develop a contemporary dance repertoire, offering a new dance aesthetic in Albania by encouraging dancers and choreographers to reach more freedom on stage through body language, that is both individual and universal. Another objective of the group is to present abroad our creations, visions, quality, spirit, ideas and capacities of Albanian contemporary dance.
DC: How can you describe the artistic evolution of the Company since the beginning until now?
GP: Choreographers with different backgrounds, approaches, concepts, ideas, themes and techniques have worked in our company. The choreographer Alonzo King says that qualities we admire in great dancers are the same we admire in human beings. This have been our motto to increase the motivation and responsibility of the company members. This philosophy has greatly enriched our repertoire, developing quality, increasing pretension, improving performance and gradually advancing our performing capacities. All this has arouse the interest of international festivals and events in the works of Albanian Dance Theater Company. We have received good feedbacks and reviews both insinde and outside Albania. Generally, our performances are based on Albanian themes, humanism, generosity, wisdom depth, courage. I think diversity makes our ability to perform and display our qualities abroad in a more articulated way. Another feature of our company is the transformation of dance and shows style, from dance theater (the first show, Transition), to contemporary dance style (the last show, Nothing New Under This Sun). This transition happened to us gradually, in parallel with the evolution of society, by researching, being careful observers of the development trend of contemporary dance, mainly in Europe, but without losing our identity in expressivity, mentality and our cultural approach.
DC: Which are your principal works and where do you use to perform?
GP: Since its establishment, the company has had at least one premiere every year, such as: Transition, Contrast, Lukja, Covered Human Being, Wedding, Perfume, We Were In, Without Blood, Extreme Makeover-Culture Clash I and II, Controversial, Vital Space, Hybrid, Stress Biology, Reflect, Vote, Bold Soprano, Let’s Go, Object - I - fy, I always Have a Handkerchief in my pocked, Nothing New Under This Sun etc. Most of the productions are choreographed by Gjergj Prevazi, but also by other guest choreographers: Silvano Mozzini & Christiane Loch (Switzerland), Katharina Maschenka Horn (Germany), Corinne Rochet & Nicolas Pettit (Switzserland), Josseline Black & Anni Taskula (Australia), Oded Ronen & Joel Bray (Israel). Lately, the works of some young choreographers, Fjorald Doci, Rosella Pellicciotti, Robert Nuha, Akreoma Saliu, became part of the company’s repertoire. The most successful works are: I Always Have a Handkerchief in my Pocket (2018), Perfume 2010, Reflect (2017), Extreme Makeover-Culture Clash (2013), Without Blood by Gjergj Prevazi (2012), Contrast by Mozzini-Loch-Prevazi (2003). We usually perform around Albania, also in the west Balkan countries and Italy. The company has also toured in various festivals, such as Euro Scene - Leipzig, Off Europa Dresden (GER), MESS Sarajevo (BIH), Tanz Schritt Weise Graz (AUT), Beijing New dance Festival (CHN), Skopje DansFest, MESS Festival Sarajevo, Mot Festival Skopje, Ohrid Summer Festival International, Theater festival of Tetovo (NMC), Corpi in Movimento - Sassari, Find Festival Cagliari, Quellicheladanza Linguaggi Della Danza Contemporanea (Salerno) Move Off Siena, Incontri 2019 Rassegna Danza salerno (IT), Cairo International Experimental Theater Festival (EG), HAPU Festival Prishtina (KS), Albania Dance Meeting, International Theater Festival Butrinti 2000, Skampa International Theater Festival, Reja International Festival (AL).
DC: In which ways has the pandemic impacted your organisation?
GP: This period of pandemic has been quite difficult for our company, affecting all areas of our organisation. We could not participate at 8 international events abroad and we could not finalize the premiere of this year, which was scheduled on May 2020. As a project-based company, our dancers are in big financial difficulties, due to the ban on any live artistic activity in Albania, since March 2020. We do not know either what strategy will be planned by our government in terms of allowing artistic activities in Albania. Also, participation in events abroad is impossible due to the blockage of free travelling in EU countries and in most of the western Balkan countries.
DC: What do you understand by communicating through dance?
GP: First of all I see dance as a way to communicate feelings, desires, ambitions, internal conflicts, often hidden in the most haunted bottoms of our psyche. This naturally manifests itself through body language, energy triggered by internal impulses, individual dynamics and qualities, in correlation and communication with other human bodies (near or far from you), with space, objects, sounds, colours and the world around us, observed and perceived with the eyes of our mind. I consider body parts as special instruments with the ability to brilliantly communicate their sounds to the limits of our attempts through dance, which is a symphony of movements within a certain psychophysical situation. Communication through dance has transformed me into a more sensitive, deeper, more social and more human person. But above all, I realized that dance is the most honest language of human beings.
DC: Which are your projections in the short term?
GP: First of all we are trying to encourage our dancers by giving them hope that this situation will pass as soon as possible. We have deals with 2 choreographers from abroad to collaborate in 2021. We are also preparing to resume rehearsals for the new production of 2020, at the first moment we will be allowed. There are some sparks of hope on the horizon for the near future, for which we have high hopes. Meanwhile, we are engaged in regional cooperation projects, and we hope to realize them in 2021. As you can see, the word hope is most used in the era of covid 19 (laughter).-
PICTURES: Courtesy of Gjergj Prevazi
Interviewer: Ana González Vañek
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