CriticalDance Forum

48 by 4 equals 12

Let’s start from the beginning: the title. 48/4… 48 hours from life of 4 people? Sounds fine and accurate. 48 square meters divided between 4 people? Well, once again – it sounds fine and accurate, but I can think of at least one more explanation: 48/4 is an address of the apartment in the block of flat. Never mind, lets leave divagations about the title as they seem to be leading only to conclusion, that title of newest performance by Lubelski Teatr Tanca (Lublin Dance Theater) can be interpreted in many different ways.

So, how about the choreography? Does it leave as many interpretations as the title? Forgive me if I’m wrong, but… nope. It does not. The story told by dance of four dancers seems to be quite simple. Inside four walls (frontal of them is that famous and invisible “forth wall”) we can see four people struggling to find their place to live. As the space is highly limited it looks like a trap. No way out, no exit, almost nothing with the exception of white and comfortably looking couch. Nothing, but four people caged inside. As the time of performance flows, tension seems to be getting higher and higher. Even on the beginning we can see, that there is always to little space for everyone. Only three of protagonists can rest on the couch… the forth one is treated as an intruder. In order to preserve small “lebensraum” inside 4 walls alliances are being built – girls against boys (or woman against men if you wish). The first of them are defending their little coach-alike castle, the others are trying to invade… who is going to win this battle? Probably no one, because after black-out audience is facing completely new situation.

Two of the dancers (Ryszard Kalinowski and Anna Żak) are resting at the end of the stage, leaving room for new interaction. So, what is happening between Wojciech Kapron and Beata Pałka? Is it seduction or is it war? Hard to define – once they seem to be magnetizing each other, couple seconds later it looks as if they were trying to push the other one away as far as it is possible. Everything what is happening between them is rather rapid, and is looking more like a movement, than dance understood in classical way.

Whole performance seems to be focused on the problem of people trapped in small space, emotions which may appear in that kind of situation. The tempo of 48/4 is variable – for some the most striking parts may be the fastest one, when aggressive movement is strongly underlined by wicked music of Peter Kurek of avant-garde electronic duo called Slepcy. The others will appreciate moments of calming down, when you can hear only breaths of dancers hiding in dimmed light. To sum up, I believe that everyone familiar with style of Lubelski Teatr Tanca should find at least some parts of 48/4 amusing and touching. That’s why I advise to see it – at least for the concept of whole work and choreography by Ryszard Kalinowski.

At XI International Dance Theaters Festival 48/4 had its premiere. Unfortunately that means some problems. I definitely appreciate the idea of this performance, I loved the music (which is really atonal, noisy and highly deconstructive – you have been warned) but I couldn’t ignore the feeling, that dancers moves were a bit rough. It seemed that performers weren’t sure of their possibilities, weren’t precise enough, maybe even stretched enough, sometimes hesitated to long before beginning new scene. I really needed to see actors who were moving more like Craigs’ “uber-marionettes”. I hope that after some fiddling with couple of scenes 48/4 will be striking and – perhaps – award wining piece of dance theater art.

Michał Miłosz Zieliński

Ciasny lokal: życie

Lubelski Teatr Tańca - '48/4'


11. Międzynarodowe Spotkania Teatrów Tańca otworzył wczoraj premierowy spektakl „48/4” gospodarza festiwalu - Lubelskiego Teatru Tańca.

Na środku pustej sceny stoi oświetlona biała kanapa. Na kanapie mężczyzna wije się w konwulsyjnych ruchach. Pozostali aktorzy ukrywają się w cieniu, każdy z nich stanowi odrębną jednostkę, pytanie: na ile samotną?

Kolejna scena to walka o własne miejsce w grupie. Do dyspozycji mamy ciasny lokal, w którym przychodzi nam żyć razem z innymi ludźmi. 48 może metrów kwadratowych, może godzin. Wszystko dodatkowo dzielone na cztery. Otaczająca ciasnota jest namacalna. Nawet na samej kanapie starcza miejsca tylko dla trzech osób. Gdy uda ci się zająć miejsce, pozbawiasz inną osobę jej przestrzeni. Wykluczona osoba stara się powrócić na zdobytą wcześniej pozycję, chociażby kosztem innych. Życie staje się niemającą końca szarpaniną, siłową wymianą ról.

Cztery osoby to zbyt dużo by mogło dochodzić do pełnowartościowej relacji między wszystkimi osobami jednocześnie. W momencie, gdy do trójkąta dodamy czwartą osobę, nowo powstała figura od razu rozpada się, często w pary. Widzimy to w tańcu. Momenty synchronicznych ruchów czterech osób pojawiają się niezwykle rzadko i trwają niezwykle krótko. Im dalej tym bardziej dominuje taniec w parach, który ewoluuje od walki do współgrania.

Aktorzy tańczą do muzyki Piotra Kurka, która nadaje rytm całej akcji. Sam taniec czerpie dużo z fizyczności człowieka, ruchy stają się pełne, indywidualne dla każdego z artystów. Ich taniec to swoista walka z własnym ciałem i własną psychiką. Z libido, ale jednocześnie z drugim człowiekiem. Widzimy to w ekspresji tancerzy, w poszczególnych gestach, mimice, napięciu, jakie wytwarza się między ciałami. Takie odczytywanie tańca sugeruje nam dodatkowo oświetlenie, chociażby wtedy, kiedy czerwień zalewa scenę. Efekty wizualne grają ważną rolę, od tęczowych cieni do oświetlonych kwadratów maty, które stają się (również ciasną) przestrzenią dla solowych części tańca.

Wciąż przekonujemy się, że Lubelski Teatr Tańca szuka własnych form wyrazu, co bardzo cieszy, zwłaszcza rodzimą publiczność. W całym spektaklu dobrze współgrają wszystkie poziomy realizacji. Przed oczami mamy opowieść dość spójną, acz wymagającą indywidualnej interpretacji. I to staje się największym atutem spektaklu.

Określeniem, które wydaje się najbardziej pasować do całości jest - solidność. Chciałabym by z czasem do tej solidności dodać jeszcze skrzydeł.


Marta Zgierska

A tiny room- life

Lublin Dance Theatre - '48/4'


The 11th International Dance Theatre Festival opened with a premiere “48/4” performed by the hosts of the festival: Lublin Dance Theatre.

In the middle of an empty stage, there is a white sofa in a spotlight. On the sofa a man writhes in convulsion like movements. The other actors are hidden in the shadows; each of them constitutes a discrete unit. But how lonely?

A fight starts for a position in the group. We have a tiny room, where we need to live with others. Maybe 48 meters square, maybe 48 hours. Everything is divided in 4. Surrounding lack of space is almost palpable e on the sofa there is not enough place for 4. If you manage to grab a place, you dispose another person of their space. The excluded one tries to reclaim their previous position, even at the cost of others. Life becomes a never ending struggle for a role.


With four performers, there are too many possible interactions for them to take place all at the same time. When we add a fourth person to the triangle, the newly created figure immediately breaks down, often in twos, and we see this in the dance. There are hardly any moments of synchronised movement for all four The further the show continues, duets dominate, which sometimes evolve from fighting to interplay.

The actors dance to the Peter Kurk’s music which dictates the rhythm of the whole. The dance itself takes much from man’s physicality, the movements become full and individualized for every artist. Their dance is like a fight with their bodies and their minds, with libido but also with another human. We can see it in dancers' expressions, particularly gestures, mime, and the tension created between their bodies. This interpretation is supported by the lighting, when for example a red light covers the stage. The visual effects play an important role, from rainbow shadows to illuminated squares which also became, constrained spaces for the solos.

We are once more convinced that Lublin Dance Theatre searches for its own forms of expression to the satisfaction of local audience. In the performance, all aspects of the production interplay well. We witness an integrated story, but requiring individual interpretations. And this is what is most precious in the performance.

The adjective which suits the entire show is the fine crafting. I hope this crafting can soon take take wing to an even higher dimension.

Marta Zgierska