In front of the ruins of a perished civilisation that appear in impressive film images, four humans are looking for their way and their destination, discovering the power of empathy.

Four people, setting out. They are still young and though every one of them is carrying his own history, his own dreams and experiences, hopes and deceptions. They are on their way, people on their trails through a barren world. Displaced and looking for shelter, prisoners of their own, without orientation, exhausted. Often their advancing seems to be without any sense: What is their destination? Is there any destination at all? What keeps them going are their memories and their desires. And then there still is – against all probability, despite conflicts and competition – the fractious power that emerges from empathy.

The editta braun company presents a young team in a play that seems to have fallen out of time. A background of migration may be suspected, the atmosphere evoking eastern countries, the Balkans, Asia Minor, in a vague past or even in future, on a depopulated continent. Because everything is happening in front of impressing pictures which have been taken out of Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s documentary Homo Sapiens showing deserted industry landscapes, traces of a perished civilisation where nature has gained the upper hand for a long time already.

Against this background empathy is not an expression of noble human kindness but vital: The four are depending on each other – like all of us are nowadays in a world that has grown small end extremely cross-linked.

"Surrounded by a team of artists from Poland, Slovenia, Mozambique, Austria, France and Germany, I send four people on a journey. Although these people are obviously homeless, it is not about migration: We examine the group dynamic processes of a bunch of people who move through an apocalyptic world. And they manage that no one gets lost.

The films of the Greek Theo Angelopoulos (The Travelling Players) have enchanted me since the early 1980s and remain anchored in me ever since. I perceive his pictorial language "choreographically" and, in its diverse association depth, is close to the arts of dance.

Then I discover the acclaimed science-fiction documentary Homo Sapiens of the Austrian filmmaker Nikolaus Geyrhalter, who takes us into a world without people, yet landscapes with human remains. Industrial ruins, abandoned human habitats, recaptured by nature, overgrown. Powerful images."  (Editta Braun)

«trails»

premiere: 23 October 2018, tanz_house Festival Salzburg

dance, performance, research:

Paula Dominici, Kamil Mrozowski, Jerca Rožnik Novak, Ornilia Ubisse

artistic direction, choreography: Editta Braun

composition: Thierry Zaboitzeff

lightdesign: Thomas Hinterberger

dramaturgy: Gerda Poschmann-Reichenau

coaching: Anna Maria Müller, Arturas Valudskis

photography: Bettina Frenzel

film-material: excerpts of Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s film Homo Sapiens

coproduction: ARGEkultur Salzburg, KosmosTheater Vienna, Posthof Linz

funding: Austrian Ministry of Culture, City of Salzburg, Region of Salzburg

download technical rider ...

Paula Dominici

* 1995 in Vienna. BA in Contemporary dance and Pedagogy at Anton Bruckner University in Linz, Acting training with Karl Wozek, Ingrid Sturm. Engagements with Ives Thuwis, Rose Breuss, Patrik Huber, Corinne Eckenstein, Mona May, Editta Braun, Regina van Berkel, Jianan Qu. Supporting role in the movie “Residency” Cannes Court Métrage 2018. Collective Work with Maria Shurkal and Anna Possarnig since 2017.

Kamil Mrozowski

* 1991 in Poland. Graduating the Anton Bruckner University in Autumn 2017. Has been working with Regina van Berkel, Rose Breuss, Jagoda Szmytka, Editta Braun. Since November 2016 member of Art Collective PLAY Plattform in Frankfurt am Main/DE.

Jerca Rožnik Novak

* 1992 in Slovenia. BA in Contemporary dance and Pedagogy at Anton Bruckner University Linz. Engagements with Willi Dorner, Rose Breuss, Silke Grabinger, Editta Braun, Gisela Elisa Heredia, Johannes Randolf. Member of SILK Fluegge since 2014. Member of art collective RADIATOR (Ljubljana/SLO).

Ornilia Ubisse

* 1989 in Mozambique. BA in Modern and Contemporary dance with Pedagogy from Norges Danse Høyskole in Oslo. Choreographer/founder of Kronos Dance Company, dancer at TekstLAB, dancer at Nutopia, tour with Rikskonsert since 2013. Worked with Tavaziva Dance Company in 2016. Dancer at Frikar X, editta braun company.

Editta Braun

* 1958 in Austria, pioneer of contemporary choreography in Austria. Has created more than 30 productions (physical theater, dance) and tours world-wide with her company. Characteristics: intercultural collaborations and coproductions, politically engaged, feminist view on society and theater. International Prize of Arts and Culture of the City of Salzburg in 2014, Grand Prize for Performing Arts of the Region of Salzburg 2017.

Thierry Zaboitzeff

* 1953 in the north of France. Founder and composer for the Avantgarde-Rock- Formation Art Zoyd, touring world-wide. Since 1995 solo and group-formation projects. Freelance composer and musician for film, dance, theater, events. Publishing of 29 Album. Currently touring with his new Trio-band ARIA PRIMITIVA in Europe.  www.zaboitzeff.org

Thomas Hinterberger

* 1959 in Linz, director and lightdesigner, working with several groups (Kraud&Ruam Theater, Dramos Teatras Kaunas,

editta braun company, Karls Kühne Gassenschau, Stifterhaus Linz).

Theater Award of Land Oberösterreich in 2004.

Gerda Poschmann-Reichenau

* 1969 in Munich, Dr. phil., studied theater in Munich and Paris. After completing her studies she worked in Salzburg as a theatredramaturgist, since 2000 freelances as a dramaturgist, lector, translator and author.  

Arturas Valudskis

* 1963 in Lithuania. Studied directing, acting at the Academy of Arts in Vilnius, migrated to Salzburg, founder of Theater Panoptikum in 1994, Agregat Valudskis in 2014.

Lives as free-lance theater director, actor, musician, costume-designer in Salzburg and Vienna.

Anna Maria Müller

* 1980 in Salzburg, Mag. phil., dance education at the Arts Educational School (London), University Vienna and Anton Bruckneruniversity Linz. Since 2005 freelance dancer, choreographer. Founds 09 the Pilates Studio Innsbruck. Since 2006 member of editta braun company. Performs with ebcie in: Luvos, Matches of Time, Coppercity, Paradies, Abseits, CLOSE UP, Close Up 2.0

reactions on «trails»

„No destination. Just a trail. Life.

In situations that are so big and mighty that words can’t describe what’s happening to a human being, only dance is able to express the impact of emotions, thoughts and feelings.

In “trails” the choreographies are based on such inner incidents in such a delicate and wise way that they manage to express those nameless feelings. The four dancers, in defiance of their youth, have at their disposal a broad range of means in moving and expression. The extremely sensitive and intelligent montage of stage action combined with the pictures of abandoned landscapes from Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s film and Thierry Zaboitzeff’s theatrical music creates the magic theatre moment far from any pettiness.”

Myrto Dimitriadou, theater director, founder of Toihaus Theater Salzburg

"A melancholically wonderous piece of art, pertaining beauty, sorrow and fear. (…)

A breath-taking dance piece of great merging visual and conceptual patterns that opens up the heart and mind to fresh questions of the world, and our place in it."

Mikkel A.P. Smith, writer (Oslo)

"Nikolaus Geyrhalter‘s deserted landscapes affect us deeply – particularly because they are not scenarios of a possible future but pictures of an already existing present. The dancers in persistent dynamics, in constant locomotion, without knowing if there is any destination. Again and again they hold onto each other, carry one another through extreme situations – external and internal ones. Is there hope for any arrival at all in a world which we are just yet ruining? Or will we find a togetherness that may empower or possibly even save us?"

Angela Czech, journalist

"A landscape in black and white, hazy. Long lasting shots taken out of a film. Characters enter, wayfarers, some are hesitating, others determined, some clueless, as it seems. Silhouettes.

When did the music start, so unagitated, so unreal? So coherent.

The journey the four persons on stage are making seems to be a trip to their own self, to their desires and unaccomplished wishes. They look for community and move on. Consistently accompanied by images of desolation and vanishing. And suddenly they seem to be caught in Platon’s allegory of the cave without any way to escape. And the spectators turn into shadows in this allegory.

A touching evening. The public walks out in ease, reconciled with the narrowness and fugacity of our existence."

Christa Hassfurther, theater director

"Four young, very interesting dancers: Paula Dominici, Kamil Mrozowski, Jerca Roznik Novak and Ornilia Ubisse. Exhausted bodies, dread, memories, hopes dwell in them. Abruptly the spell breaks, from despair to a frothing zest for life. Geyrhalter's overwhelming images - a cave, above a rectangle of white sky shimmers. The freedom, the danger, a dancer storms off, the three others catch their jump.

(...) No easily consumable, a good and necessarily disturbing prelude with Tanztage-Labor". (Christian Pichler, Oberösterreichisches Volksblatt)

"It is an emblematic performance, carried by expressive images, whose maelstrom gradually unfolds and occasionally demands patience from the viewer, letting him feel being lost and desorientated himself. Where no path leads to the goal, compassion seems to be the last resort. Conclusion: A visually powerful, thoughtful performance about a journey through a nothing that tells of the value of humanity and cohesion."

(Karin Schütze, Oberösterreichische Nachrichten)

teaser «trails»

full length «trails»