«CLOSE UP»

„My highlight of the evening, festival and most likely one of the best dance works I will see in 2016 was Editta Braun company’s ‘Close up’. The work starts powerfuly as a writhing pile of rubble throbs to the time of AyseDeniz’s charged piano performance. Any imaginings of what lies underneath, perhaps informed by  five children and it, are surpassed. As bodiless limbs emerge from the pile, seemingly unhindered by the rigidity enforced by the rest of the skeleton, this skillful re-writing of the the female body builds a steady momentum.“ (manipulate festival blog, Christiana Bissett)

Visually, the effect of limiting the movement to hide parts of the dancers' bodies is both absorbing and unnerving. The richness of the imagery brings to mind Hieronymus Bosch's human limbs, that protrude angularly from eggs and other creatures: Braun has most viscerally brought to life the deformed and fragmented leftovers of a psyche.

[ ... ]

The final encounter and touch (between dancer and musician) is satisfying, and clearly points towards a less constrained future. A gloriously tongue-in-cheek (or butt cheek on keys) piece of surreal dance invention. (TV Bomb 01.02.2016)

The body shapes created over 70 minutes by these four dancers – with lighting designer Peter Thalhamer – are extraordinary; Thierry Zaboitzeff's music is as thrilling as Gokcim's performance. And like all the best work at Manipulate, Close Up raises profound questions about the familiar shapes around us and how easily those perceptions can be disrupted, even as it also leads the pianist into an unsettling encounter with forces in her music of which she is barely aware, until they literally come to nudge her in the back.”

(The Scotsman, 06.02.2016)

Across an hour, the initial impact dwindles, but the sheer stamina of the performers – and the spurt of ensemble bopping when Michael Jackson's Billie Jean hits the keys – remains strangely fascinating.“

(Herald Scotland 02.02.2106)

«currently resident in»

„The inventiveness, the simplicity of materials, and the dynamics of speech and silence during the performance contributed to a unique masterpiece. Your subject, one so complicated and common, with so many components, was delivered with humor, dignity, and strength without losing the depth, leaving the audience with intense concerns but also a delightful mood.“

Sofia Falierou, festival director, choreographer