Work  

I'll be back
Premiere: 20.10.2021, Tanzhaus Zurich
 

In I’ll be back, the dance collective UTOPISISTAS explores notions of the self, pitches individual fulfilment against serving the common good (or vice versa) and exploits the full potential that lies in interdependencies. Supported by a soundscape composed of their voices and using improvisation in movement and speech to harness the power of the spontaneous, Matilda Bilberg, Nerea Gurrutxaga, Jenna Hendry and Maria Teresa Tanzarella dance and talk themselves into a multiple being with a collective body and a shared consciousness. In the process, they both satisfy and undermine our need for synchronicity and symbiosis, creating a sparkling, highly charged and often humorous piece, which not only reflects UTOPISISTAS’ collaborative and non-hierarchical approach to performance making but also raises quite a few timeless questions along the way: Do I end where you begin? Or do I exist only through you? And if so: Can we co-create a self? Or are we alone? Forever?
 

We are a wondering, wondrous being,
visiting an uncanny world and that other planet.
We will sweat for you.
We will be challenged.
As will you.
But don’t worry: We will also sing for you.

So let us gather all of our existing mutants.
Let us assemble our multiple self.

 

The four dancers and choreographers Matilda Bilberg (SE), Jenna Hendry (CH), Nerea Gurrutxaga (ES) and Maria Teresa Tanzarella (IT/SE) formed the collective UTOPISISTAS in 2018. Since then, they have been collaborating in Switzerland, Sweden and Belgium. I’ll be back is the first full-length dance piece.

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Tour dates:
 

07.02.2023                   Västerås Sweden

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02.-03.12.2022             Bytom, Poland 
20.10.2022                    Bilbao, Basque Country

10.-12.03.2022              Dansens Hus, Stockholm Sweden
 

21.-24.10.2021              Tanzhaus Zurich Switzerland

20.10.2021                    PREMIERE Tanzhaus Zurich Switzerland

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Credits

Concept, choreography and performance:      Matilda Bilberg, Nerea Gurrutxaga, Jenna Hendry and Maria Teresa Tanzarella
Dramaturgy:                                                           Simon Froehling
Sound:                                                                     Moritz Alfons and Luz González
Light:                                                                       Thomas Giger
Costumes:                                                               Mat Voorter and Pepa Canel

Production management:                                   Hélène Hüsler
Dramaturgical support Tanzhaus Zürich:         Lea Moro
Video and photography:                                      Michelle Ettlin

Illustration and graphic design:                         Fabio Bergaglio
Coproduction:                                                        Tanzhaus Zürich
Residency partners:                                              Swedish Arts Grants Committee (SE), Höjden (SE), Cie Thor (BE)
With the support of:                                             Stadt Zürich Kultur, Fachstelle Kultur Kanton Zürich, Swedish Arts Grants
                                                                                  Committee, Ernst Göhner Stiftung, Elisabeth Weber Stiftung,
                                                                                  Migros Kulturprozent Zürich, Helge Ax:son Johnsons Stiftelse.
 

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Choreographers at work! - A documentary series about creation processes in contemporary dance by Mona De Weerdt and Michelle Ettlin.

The second portrait in the documentary series Choreographers at Work! is devoted to the collective work and rehearsal processes employed by UTOPISISTAS. It shows the four dancers and choreographers Jenna Hendry, Matilda Bilberg, Maria Teresa Tanzarella and Nerea Gurrutxaga working together on their production I'll be back (2021). The film captures elements such as vocal and movement research, the four dancers' search for synchronicity in improvised unison, and their negotiation and decision-making processes. Viewers experience how the piece’s theme of the dissolution of the self is explored during rehearsals through dance and choreography, as well as the challenges that collective artistic work entails.
 

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For booking requests or other inquiries please contact:
jildabendry@gmail.com

Follow IG: @utopisistas