simply gifts - cie. toula limnaios

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»simply gifts« are solos for five dancers created in 2007. nine years later, in 2016, the original cast came together and danced those solos within the festival »20 jahre cie. toula limnaios«. toula limnaios chose the solo as a form for contemplating a special kind of directedness and intimacy. it combines presence and emphemerality in a single moment – is powerful, while also quiet and subtle. it resembles a miniature filled with details and fine differences. the grande gesture is abstained in favor of smaller nuances. the individual personality is extracted from its exterior form. these are gentle, loving and very distinct portraits.

mercedes appugliese »hola merce«
»in my fantasy, i am unfettered by my real body. i leave it behind and become someone else, …if i so wish.« (siri hustvedt, »being a man«)

carlos osatinsky »17 minutos con la realidad«
»his dreams bear relation to reality, for, as cicero wrote, in our dreams do roll and romp the remains of all those things in our souls, which we thought of and acted upon in our waking hours.« (michael ende, »der spiegel im spiegel, ein labyrinth«)

hironori sugata »ich bin eine fiktion«
»when you realize in a dream, that you are dreaming
then you are about to wake up.
i am about to wake up.« (michael ende, »der spiegel im spiegel, ein labyrinth«)

katja scholz »guten morgen, du schöne«
»you go away and come back and something has changed. each of us has the right to go away and come back as someone else.« (maxie wander, »rosis portrait«)

ute pliestermann »riss«
»i’ve the whole day before me, to go wrong, to go right, to calm down, to give up, i’ve nothing to fear, my ticket is valid for life …« (samuel beckett, »texte um nichts«)

»watching the work of toula limnaios usually leaves me feeling as if i were dreaming with my eyes open. ›simply gifts‹ also has something wonderfully out-of-this-world. the ground is gently pulled out under your feet; everyday logic is turned on its head. … these dance miniatures are eccentric and enigmatic …« (tagesspiegel, sandra luzina, 2007)

a cie. toula limnaios production with kind support by the cultural department of the city of berlin, department for cultural affairs pankow and fund for performing arts e.v.

fotos: johann camut

artistic director/choreography

toula limnaios (choreography in collaboration with the dancers)

music

ralf r. ollertz, michael kamen, edith piaf

dance

mercedes appugliese, carlos osatinsky, ute pliestermann, katja scholz, hironori sugata

lightdesign

klaus dust

public relation

silke wiethe

space

toula limnaios

costumes

antonia limnaios, toula limnaios

reviews

»toula limnaios masterfully choreographs the interpersonal and refers to the intimacy and the depth of human movement with her detailed, subtle repertoire rather than with large gestures. the athenian-born choreographer made her company, alongside sasha waltz & co, a prime address for contemporary dance made in berlin.« (tip, 2007)

»a feeling of happiness on high-altitude flights /// watching the work of toula limnaios usually leaves me feeling as if i were dreaming with my eyes open. the new dance evening also has something wonderfully out-of-this-world. the ground is gently pulled out under your feet; everyday logic is turned on its head. in ›simply gifts‹ the choreographer has created a solo for 5 dancers of her ensemble. and that goes far beyond the usual, avowed portraits of dancers. here, the desired energies immediately begin to circulate. the performers dream themselves into a different body, or they seem to come straight out of a dream of a restless sleeper (c. osatinsky) who sits in a robe on the edge of the stage.
in ›hola merce‹, m. appugliese is crazy about pompous radio sounds of future heroic deeds. with her red helmet, she looks like a cartoon character. the helmeted head seems too big and too heavy for the petite body. the dancer falls out of balance, repeatedly slams to the ground, circles on her helmet like a propeller and seems invulnerable in all her actions. the lady obviously has her own mind. the way she confronts reality is daringly humorous.
the figures at toula limnaios are often on the edge, but they are also not afraid of flying. in ›ich bin eine fiktion‹, the japanese h. sugata takes a euphoric high-altitude flight. attached to a rope, the dancer beats gravity. it initially rotates gently around its own axis, oscillates, rocks and seems to be flying. an aerial act that arouses true feelings of happiness.

k. scholz hat sich von maxie wanders buch ›guten morgen, du schöne‹ zu einer bizarren fantasie k. scholz was inspired to a bizarre fantasy by maxie wander’s book ›good morning, you beautiful‹ (in german: ›guten morgen, du schöne‹), which says: ›each of us has the right to go away and come back as someone else‹. at first, one admires scholz as a back-like, half-naked figure, wearing a sweeping headdress. her movements are provocatively slow. the beautiful creature circles around herself, self-immersed, and transforms into an erotic fantasy before our eyes. she takes two black high-heeled shoes, the usual props of seduction, out of her underpants and then wraps her head and upper body in black fur. she is at the same time both: king kong and the white woman – an irritating image of female desire.

in ›riss‹, u. pliestermann devises an imaginary counterpart to whom she gives precise instructions. she mimes the dashing lola in golden hot pants, but her seduction strategy bears no fruit. there is no one who listens to her, whom she beguiles – a woman on the leash of her desires. these dance miniatures are eccentric and enigmatic.

toula limnaios is an exception of the berlin dance scene: her choreographies always revolve around people’s contradicting motivations and hidden desires. her pieces resemble expeditions to unknown regions of the soul – and that requires performers who have more than good looks and nice moves. limnaios has proven time and again that she has a knack for choosing her dancers.« (tagesspiegel, sandra luzina, 2007)

»the dance monologues are playfully interwoven. following thematic brackets can be recognized: exposing inner states, visualizing hidden dreams, what one wishes for, one cannot get or one cannot be.« (neues deutschland/tanznetz.de, volkmar draeger, 2007)