Chronologue

Chronologue

Chronologue is a dance performance program consisting of the three solo works, made and performed by Svetlin Velchev. The program includes the pieces Limitation Sky; Masked Reflection: Form & Content and Impact Transformation created and performed in the past five years.

This project is an implementation of the permanent Artistic Residency of Svetlin Velchev / MANIFEST Dance Company at
EHBK (Eerste Hulp bij Kunst) / OT301 Amsterdam

MANIFEST Dance Production 2017

Fragments Trilogy

Fragments Trilogy

Inspired by Einstein’s Theory of Relativity or the current description of gravitation in modern physics. The idea shares the urge to rediscover and reveal the true nature of our planet and express that in art exhibit goal with choreography.

In the program you see compilation of three various projects based on gravity movement explorations:
Fragment #1: The Performance, Fragment #2: The Video and Fragment #3: The Installation

FRAGMENT #1- The Performance

The stage part has been initiated first as a residency at Cloud Den Haag and afterwards developed and completed at Codarts Alumni Program and AnaMorphic Studio.

By using the principals of gravity the author came up with a virtuosic method, which generates movements and highlights a certain flow within them. The reality is transforming into a subtle parallel world, where gravitation has a different magnetic force than we know.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The dancers find themselves floating in a Universe where the process of energies, colliding and interacting with surfaces, is as straight forward as physical chemistry.

FRAGMENT #2-The Video

The dance film, also called ‘Trapped’, is an attempt to break the conventional perception for the dimensions and define gravity with moving bodies.

It represents on a physical level the need to free our mind from anything that is holding it back and look at this world from a lighter, gentle and delicate perspective.

FRAGMENT #3-The Installation

This site-specific part is a dance solo taking place on indoor location. The body of the dancer is standing anti-gravity in an integrated room in the room.

The audience observes a human figure achieving powerful weightless atmosphere with the support of unnoticeable net in the space.

Moving in soft and organic ways, the performer is leaning off balance in a beautiful interaction with gravity, turning this physical law into optional choice.

Kinesthetics

Kinesthetics

This visual installation was part of the Cloud Flash Exhibit at Paard Van Troje during the performance part of the State-X New Forms Festival for cutting-edge art.

Kinesthetics 2012 Created by Svetlin Velchev
Visuals: Assen Ivanov
Soundtrack: Marieke van de Ven
Performers: Dane Badal and Romario Gomes

Cloud@DANSLAB Production 2012

All is Everywhere

All is Everywhere

Time has no delay as we move to the next day. I was thinking what do I want to be, I was wondering where do I want to go. My mind is overloaded with computer screens and MP3’s, suitcases and alarms, airplanes, cell phones and desire for speed. There must be something less prosaic about this reality.

Material resistance is no longer part of the equation. Are there limits anymore and what are they..?
We can do what we like anywhere.

Rush, arguments, unexpected changing circumstances, blurred boundaries between the public and the private, between media and reality…

The acceleration is high. And I cannot find peace of mind today, lush life just for the hell of it – cyber, hedonistic and for granted, everything is hype.
We got it all – everywhere.

Concept and choreography: Svetlin Velchev
Scenography, costumes and lights: Hinke Hoeksma
Music: Marieke van de Ven
Performers: Ilse Orozco, Michael Hafliger, Sayo Homma, Michal Szhimanski


Landscape Interventions: First Aid By Art

Landscape Interventions: First Aid By Art

Nature observes how we neglect our world. Rivers ain’t running deep no more. Trees witness us getting low on clean air. Mountains listen to our polluted lies. Animals dying for no reason. We are on fire, ready to jeopardise everything, taking for granted our resources, sinking in plastic, turning all places into a wasteland. We need a remedy and by any means not medical, but cultural.

Each chapter will be inspired by some of the most threatened natural habitats, which are link to the fundamental cycle of elements needed for existence and life in our world.

The idea shares the urge to rediscover and reveal the true power of nature and express that in art exhibit goal with visual art, movement & sound.

Landscape Interventions: First Aid By Art
Concept & performance: Svetlin Velchev
Light design: Damian Castel, Pierre Mollet
Costume & Technical Support: Madzia Urbanik, Ulla Misterion Sound: Miojy Thieda Camera & Edit: Jagoda Bobrowska

Landscape Interventions: Ocean

Landscape Interventions: Ocean

‘Landscape Interventions’ are a series of projects, continuation of the dance trilogy, based on gravity movement explorations ‘Fragments’ from 2013. These next series of projects are aiming to raise awareness to the environmental pollution disasters and send out prayers for sustainable resolutions!

‘Ocean’ is the first one, out of three, which is dedicated to the water element, representing the sea motion – currents, waves and tides.

Each chapter will be inspired by one of the three most threatened natural habitats: Ocean (Water), Forest (Earth) and Sky (Air), which are link to the fundamental cycle of elements needed for existence and life in our world.

The idea shares the urge to rediscover and reveal the true nature of our planet and express that in art exhibit goal with choreography. ater element, representing the sea motion – currents, waves and tides.

Landscape Interventions: Ocean
Choreography & Light design: Svetlin Velchev
Music: Marcus Guentner
Dancers: Elise Maniere, Jos Daamen

A.C.I.D. The Trip

A.C.I.D. The Trip

A.C.I.D (Ambiguous Confession, Illuminated Dimension) is an immersive dance theater. A performance, adapted to different sites and rooms, where the audience are part of the performers’ reality.

A kaleidoscopic collection of stories conceived by an improvised narrative, leaving the public contemplating the impressions of our presence.

Based and inspired by a philosophical concept used by existentialist philosophers Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir to describe the phenomenon where human beings under pressure from social forces adopt false values and disown their innate freedom, hence acting inauthentically.

A.C.I.D (Ambiguous Confession, Illuminated Dimension) 2017
Choreography: Svetlin Velchev
Music: Ametsub
Sound: Lucas Kloosterboer
Light Design: Taffy Boudewijns
Costumes: Mad Urban Fashion / Magdalena Urbanik
Dancers: Claudia Lantini, Ana Portela, Monica Sharon, Ewa Sikorska

The project is an implementation of the Artistic Residency by DalioArts at EHBK/ OT301 Amsterdam, February – June 2017

Masked Reflection: Form & Content

Masked Reflection: Form & Content

This solo dance performance is built on the various meanings of reflection: from the scenography where a TL rectangle placed in the shape of window, casts light on the surface of the floor, creating a space to dance and a place for contemplation.

In this light installation Velchev creates tension by juxtaposing shape and substance, surface and depth, movement and sound, investigating the question: is what we see necessarily what we get?

He first appears as a twirling sculptural form, a masked head, devoid of body. Movement sequences are accompanied with the rhythmic pulsing of four metronomes and changing light effects. In a transition moment the dancer’s body emerging with robotic movement but with a strong emotional musical score.

With new technologies challenging our understanding of what is true, we can’t always recognize what is of real quality and value. Furthermore, the media often covers up important events and manipulate people by representing frivolous things in glamorous packaging.

Accordingly, we are often confronted with what is meaningful in our lives. The performance is built on these reflections. Velchev uses optics and visual perceptions to illuminate the superficial and unmask the significant.

Choreography, light design and performance: Svetlin Velchev
Artistic assistant: George Stamenov
Artistic consultant and text: Barbara Krulik
Soundscape and piano score: Stanislav Genadiev
Photography / Collages: Jagoda Bobrowska
Graphic Design: Mihail Mihaylov
Camera: Rene Struijs
Edit: Svetlin Velchev

Monologue

Monologue

The duet Monologue is an architectonic contemporary dance piece executed in a location set as an installation – a piece representing a paradoxical world and the eventual rebuilding of a new better place.

The audience observes the workflow of the two performers who play the role of engineers on a construction site, building parallel realities, creators of their own destiny. Depending on the time and space, the pathways of the performers unaware of the other’s presence find points of divergence eventually their intersection reveals a common ground.

The work reflects on dystopic social disaffection and how it can pave an easy path to ignorance, envy and hatred. In our desensitized society human emotions are suppressed leaving one numb and callous. Love, compassion, and mutual understanding are no longer; people forget to connect to the small, casual or even important moments.

Monologue is a continuation in the ongoing research of choreographer Svetlin Velchev about the importance and power of movement to communicate the notion of contradiction as a basic feature of reality.

This work is a sequel to a series of multi-disciplinary projects that investigates the concepts of affection, closure, privacy and distance between us as individuals. Have dichotomous trends reshaped society and how has this emerged in a new era that is completely different than in past decades

Monologue 2016
Concept, choreography, scenography, costumes and light design: Svetlin Velchev
Artistic consultant: Barbara Krulik
Technical assistant: Iasen Georgiev
Sound: Random Inc.
Photography: Maritsa Kolcheva
Performers: Stanislav Genadiev and Violeta Vitanova

‘Monologue’ was created at Sofia, Bulgaria as part of ‘triZavisim’ – an initiative of the Guild of Contemporary Performing Arts at SAB, together with the Cultural Foundation A25.
It has been implemented within Residence program at Derida Dance Center Sofia.

Monologues/Dialogues

Monologues / Dialogues

The darkest light can illuminate. Being negative in a positive way, we take our time in the fast lane, telling lies very truthfully. We stand so far apart from each other, trying to hold on to something when there is actually nothing.

Always dreaming of something we can never have, thinking of starting something we could never finish.

Sometimes we find pleasure in pain and experience success in our failures, witnessing paradoxes every day. Never realizing how much we win when we lose. Being sad when we should be happy, living in a denial.

So the existential question is: do we have to contradict ourselves to get what we really need and do we remember to contradict to find what we actually like? Perhaps it is a common unconsciousness, hidden in a plain sight, to always take the opposite direction.

Contradiction is the nature of the way we live. The most simple example for it is that in life there is death, monologues can be in a dialogue with someone else and without sadness there will be no happiness.

Monologues / Dialogues 2014
Concept & Choreography Svetlin Velchev
Music Gunnar Gunnsteinsson
Dancers Kim Hoogterp, Jagoda Bobrowska, Bryan Atmopawiro, Irina Baldini, Svetlin Velchev, Jos Daamen, Lorenzo Capodieci

Breaking habits

Breaking Habits

Symbolizing the urge to let go of old unconscious patterns and explore one’s self-awareness, this dance piece has an architectonic composition based on choreographed impro.

Full of meandering spirit, the essence of the work is defined by the habitual actions of the dancers, which are struggling to overcome these, forming different spatial structures through beautiful movement sequences.

Breaking Habits 2013
Choreography Svetlin Velchev
Music Andy Cato
Dancers Madeline Harms, Thami Joe Fischer, Asja Lorencic

Limitation Sky

Limitation Sky

This male solo is an abstract dance piece on the borderline between performance and visual art. It is dedication to the phrase I used for a title, which relates to the metaphoric idiom ‘the sky is the limit’- an expression which stands for limitless potential and unlimited possibilities.

The reality is a projection of our mind, limited by borders and the captured moments worth memorizing occur only when we are opening exactly those windows of the mind – result of our imagination free. Through this prism we can see the invisible-visible and the impossible-possible.

Limitation Sky 2012
Idea, choreography, light design and performing Svetlin Velchev
Music Krill Minima

Fresques

Fresques

This male trio is an excerpt from the performance Fresques, which has an architectonic composition and the elegance in the dance resembles to statues and frescoes.

Fresques 2012
Choreography Svetlin Velchev
Music Loscil
Dancers Quentin Dehaye, Svetlin Velchev, Gianmarco Stefanelli

Zion

Zion

‘Zion’ guides the audience on a journey, organized by body motors which are proposing the notion of unity and oneness. Industrial bio-mechanics construct bodyscape, a functional moving force which creates progression. This process of progress is leading to catharsis.

A remarkable combination of body-art, music and movement makes this creation unique.
Contemporary dance, painted bodies and live musicians on-stage merge together to invite the spectator on a stunning experience.
Zion is a dance piece about the Rise and Fall of the Civilizations.

Zion 2012
Choreography Svetlin Velchev
Music Bop & Random INC.
Dancers Dane Badal, Thijs Huizer, Isabela Orzelowska, Rutkay Özpinar, Lauren Pollitt, Myronne Rietbergen, Emilie de Roo, Jouke Rouwenhorst, Baptiste Sandere, Giacomo Severini Bonazelli, Gray Timmer, Kayla Tuggle, Lisanne Venema, Adrian Wanliss, Natali Wauer, Joshua Wolchansky, Guilia Wolthuis