SZIA
a danced installation by Ilona Pászthy
part I of a trilogy on communication
nominated for the 2007 Cologne Dance Prize awarded by the SK Foundation

About the piece
when people communicate, it is not only about transferring information, but rather the foundation of our thoughts, our action and our feelings. in our world of e-mails and chat rooms, truth is often lost. Using this as a point of departure, SZIA deals with different aspects of illusion and truth in communication and isolation. Between 2 space-filling stage objects and a projection screen, the dancers attempt to evoke a communicative exchange, which remains fruitless in most cases. Speech and dance join as equals to form a single unit. Each performance will take a different path depending on the location and the interaction between the performers and their audience.

choreography, concept: Ilona Pászthy
dance: Julia Riera, Maya Sakamoto, Anna Stieger, Fornir Ortiz, Emily Welther
music: Markus Reyhani
objects: MiegL
dramaturgy: Sabina Stücker
production manager / PR: Senay Funk

Press clips
"In an Intelligent satirical way, Pászthy touches the nerve of our modern world when her strong-charactered dancers clash in a hard and hectic body check....Pászthy gives her audience a feeling for the explosive effect with original and funny text particles and expressive, overstrained dancer bodies, not as a cultural political indictment, but as an amusing reflection."
Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper, Cologne, 21 Sept. 2007

"Helplessness alternates with the dynamic, speed alternates with delayed movements... Everyday gestures of communication evolve into dance movements, until they drop into empty illusion. Especially the fast passages generate a provocative mood and, in other moments, it is especially the delay that impressively illustrates the loss of communication, not to speak of painful loneliness."
Rheinische Post newspaper, Krefeld, 17 Dec. 2007

"The summer program "Aachen tanzt" experienced a very successful continuation with the dance installation SZIA. More than 2 months before the premiere and after only 3 weeks of rehearsal, the dancers performed impressively in this brilliant production. Choreographer Ilona Pászthy created a remarkable richness of variations on the topic of communication, which was perfectly translated into action by the company – four women and one man."
Aachener Zeitung newspaper, Aachen, 2 Jul. 2007

Funded by Kunststiftung NRW, SK-Stiftung Kultur, Fonds Darstellende Künste e.V., the City of Cologne and the Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia.

This production was created in cooperation with the City of Aachen / Kulturbetrieb and the choreographer’s network Barnes Crossing.

Supported by Rumpf Dancewear / Germany