Choreomaniacs

Info

Choreomaniacs is a performative docu-fiction, chronologically following the events that marked the “dance epidemy” in the summer of 1518, in Strasbourg – a mass dystopian manifestation, which affected several hundred people. The show discusses the way we choose to look at dance, starting from a series of testimonials from the scholars of the period, a mix of pseudoscience, theology and medieval science-fiction, in contemporary movements. The focus is on the way the epidemic spread was documented, the events being told from the point of view of the watcher, never from the point of view of the one who lived them.

Description

1518. The city of Strasbourg is on full alert. A dance epidemic starts in the city’s main market. 

Called, over the ages, “The Dance of Saint Vitus”, “Lascivious Chorea”, “dance mania” or “choreomania”, the documentation of this event is as bizarre as the event itself; a mix of humorous medicine, supernatural phenomena, a bit of mycology and some mythology. For those who dare to browse the articles forming the internet wow, the dance epidemic is strongly infused by the ideas of the late Middle Ages Christian Church.

The few contemporary researchers who studied it classified the event as mass hysteria, and few dance theoreticians even named it an early choreopolic manifestation.

This dystopic event – a dance epidemic that affected several hundred people, became a historical information through the visions of those who had a voice in the community of the time (clerics, local authorities, theologists, chroniclers). In the absence of any testimony for choreomaniacs, the start of this epidemic remains a speculation, that slowly transformed into historical truth. Also a speculation remains the contemporary interpretations, which (re)contextualize the historical interpretations.

An original soundrack, signed by Vlaicu Golcea

With over 20 years experience in the performing music scene,Vlaicu Golcea is the one who signs the soundtrack of the work which carried the same title, created by Simona Deaconescu.

Vlaicu Golcea can easily be considered one of the pioneers of integrating electronic music and computers in this field. In the last 10 years he has dedicated himself mainly to the composition of stage music, film and multimedia installations, being one of the most active and well-known crossover artists of his generation.

Much more than a simple commentary on the choreographic intention of the work made in the frame of the CNDB program, COREOMANIACII OST is an independent artistic creation. In his compositions, his music not only accompanies. The quality, the stylistic universe and the imaginary that Vlaicu Golcea proposes make of his compositions elements that if taken singularly manage to play the main role.

We invite you to listen to it in full below or on Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.

Extra info

The performance was created within the program Dance me to the End of…. in which CNDB invited established artists to revisit their own works or sign new productions, together with the students of the Dance and Performance Academy CNDB and the performance is now presented within the project Distances and proximities.

The legal provisions regarding the safety of spectators, regarding the maximum number of participants allowed during an event at CNDB, together with all the protection measures and regulations imposed in force against the spread of CO-VID19 will be respected throughout the entire event.