THE URGE
A Simultaneous Dance Performance for Public Spaces Based on Lockdown Improvisations
“The Urge” brings a fascinating example of transforming frustration and restrictions into euphoria and sharing. The original choreography emerged during the COVID era from the desire of dancers to create, share, and connect with the audience. In spring 2020, social media was flooded with home videos, bearing witness to the dancers'; and choreographers'; desire to dance, to remain in contact, and to stay visible. Ceren Oran selected several of them as inspiration and intentionally placed it in public spaces.
The resulting performance combines energetic synchronized dance passages with personal improvised solos by experienced dancers. The dynamics and changing rhythm of the entire piece are determined by the pulsating electronic music of Oran's long-time collaborator Hüseyin Evirgen and the live improvisation of saxophonist Jeannot Salvatori, resonating with the genius loci of each location.
The Urge Grows
Thanks to the collaboration of Moving Borders and MOVE Ostrava, the original version of "The Urge"; has expanded with Czech and Slovak adaptations (in collaboration with the Slovak festival Tanečno). This replication became an example of sustainable touring, supported and appreciated by the Czech network Nová sít. The next step in this unique collaboration is the expansion into The Urge Grows; a show connecting all three teams (15 dancers and 3 musicians) into a fascinating living organism. Its premiere took place in the main square of Pilsen in June 2022.
PRESS
(…) “What the Munich group of five showed under Oran's direction was inspiring. One felt that spatial demands of the body do not only affect the body; guessed what it means to share this experience with others, and saw movements that tell of having been stowed away and compressed.” Süddeutsche Zeitung, 12./13. May 2021, Author: Sabine Leucht
Oran creates a collective reflection on the fear of physical contact, caused by the virus, and yet also the unfulfilled desire for intimacy. There is no pretence of light at the end of the tunnel. Instead, the dancers show a continuing process- one in which we are still stuck- but after “The Urge” one feels that a spark has been ignited: A common bond will always bring forth great things.
Tanznetz, 08. May 2021, Authors: Klara Kiendl, Elisabeth Maslik
(…) “The piece The Urge by Munich choreographer Ceren Oran is also progressive. She has the dancers perform outdoors on large surfaces - simultaneously in Munich, Cologne and Berlin. The three local groups have adapted Oran's softly swinging out of the body style in a great way. And how, thanks to image editing, the three danced venues move up and down on the screen as image rectangles, literally dancing around each other: This is already a step into the digital dance future.”
Bayerische Staatszeitung, 14. May 2021, Author: Katrin Stegmeier
The Urge Trailer
Concept, Artistic Direction, Choreography: Ceren Oran
Choreographic Collaboration: Maayan Reiter, Rotem Weismann
Dance: Jin Lee, Uwe Brauns, Laura Manz, Jihun Choi, Lena Klink (Munich), Maayan Reiter, Margherita Dello Sbarba, Paula Niehoff, Lucas Lopes Pereira, Hayato Yamaguchi (Cologne), Rotem Weismann, Lukas Malkowski, Woo-Sang Jeon, Susanna Ylikoski, Ariel Hayoun (Berlin)
Music: Hüseyin Evirgen (Electronics) Jeannot Salvatori (Saxophone), Jean Baptiste Charlot (Flute), Simon Couratier (Saxophone)
Dramaturgical Accompaniment: Karolina Hejnova
Artistic Production Management: Rat&Tat – Kulturbüro
Production Assistance: Caroline Skibinski, Florian Greß
Technological Management: Peer Quednau
PR: Simone Lutz
The unisono parts of the choreography are based on the lockdown videos by Phil Hulford, Sofia Pouchtou, Clementine Herveux, Elisa Ruffato, Kamola Rashidova.
Premiere: The premiere of the The Urge took Place simultaneously in Munich, Berlin and Cologne on may 8 th at the DANCE 2021 Festival.
Click here to see the upcoming dates.
The Urge Grows Trailer