volto umano - cie. toula limnaios

trailerticketsreviews

›the human face‹

with eight dancers, »volto umano — the human face« unfolds a grand panorama of a world on the brink, where utopia gives way to a dismantling of humanity — a symbol of our society today. mechanisation that strikes at the heart of the community levels the individual and leads to the loss of empathy, individuality and curiosity.

in »volto umano« violence infiltrates the microcosm of the performers, seeping in and out of their body(ies). the piece moves between the »little misdeeds« in society in which the merciless emerges. it reveals human weaknesses and in doing so aims right at the heart of the present, which is increasingly moving away from humanity. in an overwhelming dynamic of the modern world, everything can change from one moment to the next and plunge into the fatal. when violence permeates our lives – what face will emerge?

»toula limnaios finds depressing pictures … in »volto umano« there is no attention, only direction and manipulation. the group actions contrasted with emotional solos … there is no longer any protection space from the inhuman … the dancers inspire with their expressive anger and physical vehemence. an unsettling evening. « (tagesspiegel, sandra luzina)

premiere 15 june 2018 dance/ creation: daniel afonso, leonard d’aquino, priscilla fiuza, alba de miguel, alessio scandale, katja scholz, hironori sugata, karolina wyrwal

the cie. toula limnaios is supported by the senate department for culture and social cohesion, berlin.

concept/choreography

toula limnaios

music

ralf r. ollertz

dance/creation

daniel afonso, rafael abreu, francesca bedin, laura beschi, félix deepen, karolina kardasz, amandine lamouroux, hironori sugata

assistance

alice gaspari

lightdesign

felix grimm

touring cooperations

marie schmieder

public relation

sarah böhmer

space/costumes

antonia limnaios, toula limnaios

lighting & stage technics

domenik engemann, jan römer

reviews

»toula limnaios finds captivating images. in “volto umano” there is no devotion, only manipulation. she contrasts the group actions with emotional solos… there is no more shelter from the inhuman. the dancers inspire with their expressive fury and their physical vehemence. a stirring evening.« (tagesspiegel, sandra luzina)

»toula limnaios’ dance direction seldom meets expectations. unusual things could happen anywhere on the stage. …dancers testified to brutality, possession, puppetization in an attempt at physical rapprochement. dancers showed individuality with their hands, feet and faces, even when they danced similarly in scenes. the audience reacted enthusiastically.« (freitag, blog)

»the cie. toula limnaios exposes the human face. it is a mechanized world that toula limnaios and her company present in “volto umano”. in a lurking atmosphere, one searches in vain for happiness and harmony. as people become entangled, one suspects: it is not a good world. at the finale, the frenzy reaches its climax – the world exhausts itself. it is a profoundly dark vision…« (neues deutschland, volkmar draeger)

»the vision that toula limnaios creates in her new play “volto umano” is dystopian. is humanity walking open-eyed towards the abyss? what do we see? and how do we continue? what do we (still) recognize in the “volto umano”, the human face? “humanity” is in danger of becoming a sold-out relic, the protagonist’s loneliness obscures his view of the world.« (tanzraumberlin.de, alexandra hennig)

»the unmistakable toula limnaios premieres with »volto umano«, a powerful and elegant narration. from the beginning to the end there are strong images that refer to critical situations, social issues and problems of our times, which remain impressed in the memory of the audience. a raw story, narrated with the unmistakable limnaios style, which manages to contrast the violence of actions, the grace and the elegance of her dance.« (campadidanza.it, nicola campanelli)

»toula limnaios is the only choreographer in berlin, besides sasha waltz and constanza macras, who has her own company and also produces large-format pieces. limnaios has her own venue – the halle in prenzlauer berg, where she regularly shows her choreographies. in her latest work “volto umano – the human face”, limnaios examines the thin layer of civilization and culture that, according to freud, separates us from barbarity. this relevant question moves the dancers here as a micro-society by all means: what drives people to deprive other people of compassion and to treat them with hatred and violence?« (tip-berlin.de, bühne)

»toula limnaios expose une splendide laideur … tout ce petit monde va ensuite très vite chavirer dans une fascinante cruauté, une maltraitance démesurée. … possédés, les danseurs de toula limnaios le sont bel et bien. entre attirances et répulsions, leurs corps explorent le surmenage de notre société, suintent bon la férocité de notre temps. quel visage donner à la violence qui pénètre, un peu plus chaque jour, notre quotidien ? comment se débarrasser de cette fine pellicule sociétale, fatale, qui nous colle à la peau ? c’est comme si nous étions imperturbablement guidés par un gourou, une force obscure qui dirige nos vies robotisées, uniformes … l’ambivalence dominé/dominant est portée à son comble lorsque … toula limnaios nous offre à travers „volto umano“ une savoureuse mise à nue générale, étouffante, accablante, parsemée de quelques pulsions, sursauts de vie. l’humain dans toute sa splendide laideur.« (cccdanse.com, léa chalmont)