1st International Festival of Premiere Performance
Back stage of the Theater, Cultural Center, Pancevo, Serbia
11 October 2003 at 8:15 p.m.
Duration: 13′
Festival curator: Predrag Sidjanin
Svetlana Mladenov – director of the Cultural Center, general manager of the Festival
‘Jacques Living’, The Hague, NL – fabrics
Marijana Djordjevic, The Hague, NL – dress
Stevan Kojic – photos
Marcus Richardson – editor
Nenad Forgo – sound
Milos Lacmanovic – staff
Sava Djordjevic – staff
Srdjan Anovic – staff, driver
MP_per_05 KEEP A DISTANCE was the performance conducted in the 1st International Festival of Premiere Performance.
M & P stepped out onto the completely dark stage using only hand-held battery lamps to illuminate the floor, and they stood in front of each other. Then they turned off the lamps. The performance began when P illuminated the abdomen of M, who was dressed only in a heavy red skirt. At this particular moment M waved a long cattle whip above her head and right in front of P’s face. At the moment the whip cracked, P turned off the lamp. Both, in complete darkness, walked to a new and intuitively established position in front of each other, at a safe distance. M then illuminated the naked body of P, who was dressed only in a black skirt, and he waved and cracked his cattle whip. This process: cracking-moving-cracking was repeated rhythmically. M & P were illuminated with the strong, alternating beam of light, which completely neutralized the sense of distance between each other. The aim of avoiding injury was achieved with precise, intuitive movements in the darkness. Once a position was occupied, it was held without any further correction of distance. M & P concentrated deeply on the moving and cracking, which could have led to injury if wrongly performed… The audience was positioned at a safe distance from the performers. The performance ended when complete harmony between rhythm of movement and skill of whip-cracking was established, and not when someone was injured. M & P left the stage using the light of the hand-held battery lamps.
The performance indicated that through the symbols of lightning and cracking, the creative energy evaporated, that the ‘corrective measure’ also indicated dignity and the sublime and resistance of any temptation, disorder or chaos. The performance also indicated latent eroticism where both participants are equal pér se, and with the probability of domination and sacrifice also being equal [50% : 50%].
