A piece by Josef Nadj based on the works of Oskar Vojnić
Choregraphy
Josef Nadj
Performers
Istvan Bicskei, Denes Dobrei, Peter Gemza, Franck Micheletti, Josef Nadj, Jozsef Sarvari, Gyork Szakonyi
Music
Stevan Kovac Tickmayer
Performed by
Stevan Kovac Tickmayer – piano
Chris Cutler – percussions
Scenography
Goury
Lights
Rémi Nicolas
assisted by Raymond Blot
Set construction
Le Vif, Fred Jack & Philippe Richard
Production
Théâtre JEL
Coproduction
Centre de production chorégraphique d’Orleans, Théâtre National de Bretagne – Rennes, Théâtre de la Ville – Paris, La Coursive Scène Nationale – La Rochelle, Carré Saint-Vincent – Scène National d’Orléans
Thanks to
Carré Saint-Vincent – Scène Nationale d’Orléans, Théâtre National de Bretagne
Creation
Scène nationale d’Orléans – november 1994
This performance pays homage to travel-writer Oskar Vojnić. Born in 1864 in Hungary, Vojnić died in 1914 in Port-Saïd in Egypt after having spent the last twenty years of his life roaming the globe (Middle-East, Africa, Asia) , spurred by his longing for travel.
Vojnić’s travel bug started with a passion for volcanic landscapes and the diverse manifestations of the earth’s forces. Later on, with a character drawn to adventure, he discovered big cat hunting parties in Africa and started studying the foreign languages he encountered on his travels.
In parallel to his observations on the natural world and big cats, he started questioning himself on the origin of the deeply buried forces which compel men to conquer faraway places, and on the root of Man’s primordial instincts.
As his explorations progressed, he abandoned his research on natural phenomena and animals to focus on a question which was already that of Plato: “What’s in there then, deep down inside myself ?” In the West, Europe was descending slowly into self-destruction and the first signs of a coming war were being witnessed. Vojnić preferred to remain abroad, and put an end to his journey. On the day of his fiftieth birthday, he committed suicide.
His observations and his destiny have become the basis of an interrogation, which remains ours today: how can we preserve the path that man laboriously creates for himself, when history’s path blurs, founders? How can man go forward while constantly achieving a blend between what he is, what he possesses, and the unknown, the foreign? How can that moment be found again, deep inside all men, when Man’s primordial instinct rubbed shoulders with animals’ original instincts?
Josef Nadj – october 1994
History :
7-8 décembre 2000
Scène nationale d’Orléans
Orléans (FR)
26-27 avril 1996
Springdance Festival Stadschouwbourg
Utrecht (NL)
13-14 avril 1996
Altenburg Gerta Theater
Gera (DE)
23 janvier 1996
Théâtre Onyx
Nantes (FR)
15 décembre 1995
Maison des Congrès et de la Culture
Clermont-Ferrand (FR)
7 novembre 1995
Centre Culturel la Rive Gauche
Saint-Étienne-de-Rouvray (FR)
9 septembre 1995
Oriente-Occident
Rovereto (IT)
5 juin 1995
Institut Français
Bratislava (SK)
28 mai 1995
Centre Culturel Français
Ljubjlana (SI)
23 mai 1995
Centre Culturel Français
Nova Gorica (SI)
20 mai 1995
Institut Français
Budapest (HUN)
13 mai 1995
La Filature
Mulhouse (FR)
5 mai 1995
La Ferme du Buisson
Noisiel (FR)
31 mars 1995
Théâtre Toursky
Marseille (FR)
21-22 mars 1995
Théâtre Garonne
Toulouse (FR)
10 mars 1995
Espace Olivier Carol, Scène nationale de Foix
Foix (FR)
7 mars 1995
La Passerelle
Saint-Brieuc (FR)
15 février 1995
La Coursive Scène nationale de La Rochelle
La Rochelle (FR)
20 janvier 1995
TNDI
Ollioules (FR)
12-14 janvier 1995
Théâtre de Singel
Anvers (BE)
14-22 décembre 1994
Théâtre de la Ville
Paris (FR)
novembre 1994
Scène nationale d’Orléans
Orléans (FR)
