Like deer in the light

A male performer with a blindfold on, shirtless, wearing beige shorts and red cloths, is balancing on one leg while gripping his ankle behind his body, in a dimly lit stage setting.

2014

Can you hear it—the quiet thrum, the breathless hush?
Can you see the strange tenderness blooming in captivity, fragile and defiant?
Do you feel the ache to be held—even by the hand that binds you?

There, in the gasp between breath and bruise,
love and brutality folded into one another—
indistinguishable and suspended.

The ache to love.
The ache to be loved.
The flickering line where devotion blurs into control.
Who held the reins? And who, in surrender, became the guide?

Gender dissolved.
Names were never spoken.
This was not a story.
It was an encounter.
One that left marks.

Choreography, costumes and concept: Pascal Marty

Lighting design: Joachim Brink

Rehearsal director: Fernando Melo

Music: Moderat, arranged by Matt Foley

Performers: Maria Chiara Mezzadri and Pascal Marty

Commissioned by Adolphe Binder for Northern Delight 2 with Göteborgs Operans Danskompani

Awards: Katapult Award 2014 from Göteborgs Operans Danskompani

Two performers in white costumes engaging in a contortion act in a dark setting, with dramatic lighting highlighting their bodies.
Two performers engaged in an acrobatic dance, with one supporting the other while holding a red ribbon, against a dark background.
Two ballet dancers wearing white costumes and head coverings perform on a dark stage, holding a red ribbon between them.
Two dancers performing a contemporary dance in a dark setting with minimal lighting.
Four performers in white costumes with masks perform an acrobatic routine on stage, with one performer lying on the ground and others supporting their body.
Two performers with minimal clothing, holding red ribbons, on a dark stage.
A performer in beige costume and mask, posed in a contorted, flexible position against a black background.

Photos (c) Tilo Stengel