BLACK MOUNTAIN HEIGHTS

Darkness, as if the eyes are screwed shut. An unfamiliar sound reminiscent of a broken electrical device. Above their heads, a flickering, neon-green light slowly sinks down onto the stage from above. The picture is reminiscent and offers interpretative scope for the viewer. At least it feels like a countdown – or it’s reminiscent of a slow-motion shot of an aerial bomb. Out of the darkness the four dancers dressed in black – Marlene Aigner, Yu-Hung Huang, Ke-Chieh Liu and Antonio Jorgos Papazis appear and meet in the middle of the room, exactly where the spot of neon light is waiting for them. Together they will have to dive in, as even the green veiled light embraces everyone, the music – composed by Marco Girardin and Kaspar Kuoppamäki, supports the events of the movements on stage. There is immediate physical contact between all participants. Over the course of the piece, the four merge again and again through fluid, intertwining movements, forming intricate two- or three-way constellations, moving away from each other but never losing their connection. Again and again another body is manipulated, used and “forced” to move, power relations are built up without further ado and then immediately discarded again. “Black Mountain Heights” was created in 2020 by Hakan Sonakalan, choreographed for the ‘Young Choreographers’ event at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, with Marlene Aigner, Yu-Hung Huang, Ke-Chieh Liu and Antonio Jorgos Papazis. The piece tells of inner heaviness, of power relations and cohesion. The hardness of the music contrasts with the flowing, almost soft movements. In the process, through contact improvisation and the connection of several created solo materials, a framework of movement was created, which finally allowed the dancers to merge into one mass. – Text: Marlene Aigner and Hakan Sonakalan

Choreographic cooperation and dance:
Marlene Aigner, Yu-Hung Huang, Ke-Chieh Liu and Antonio Jorgos Papazis
Artistic direction and choreography: Hakan Sonakalan
Assistant: Enora Gemin
Music: Marco Girardin and Kaspar Kuoppamäki
Light: Oliver Semrau
Costume: Anne Bentgens
Duration: approx. 8 min.
Genre: Dance