The rubberbodies collective, with Greek performer Athanasia Kanellopoulou has brought a new solo dance theatre performance ‘Penelope: Dust in our awakened dreams’ to Malta.
Without breaking their stride they have provided live experiences, invaluable educational resources, to Malta’s ambitious University students and have also prepared a personal handbook describing their creative process.
Seared with explosive clashes between artistic visionaries and embellished with unhappy compromises, the rubberbodies collective present their publication ‘rubberbodies: a trajectory of an artist collective in Malta’ from 2011/12. This publication insightfully presents their methodologies, devising techniques and notation as it has been implemented to craft this complete performance. It includes a tested creative process, called ‘the storyboard process’ by the collective, that has also been used to create the performances Grace u Rofflu (2009) and 100 (2010).
Closely supported by the Malta Arts Fund, it is the collective’s imperative to develop a relationship with Malta’s art education system. In this direction, the rubberbodies collective support the study of socially critical artwork particularly in the frame of reconsidering the social relations between educational representatives and participants. The group are advocates of openness and collaboration and are motioning Malta towards an inclusive process of education through artistry and creativity.
On 23 February 2012, the artists invited the University of Malta’s Theatre and Dance Studies students to an open session at MITP. The artists shared excerpts of their movement material from the performance which was followed by topical discussion. Usually students have to approach these core subject from the distance of the class room, but this valuable live experience allowed discussion on subjects of performance and its process, authorship, interaction between performers, ownership and performance material. Over 40 students with lecturers from both Theatre and Dance Studies departments attended this workshop.
Other presentations have taken place at MCAST: Institute of Art and Design, on the University of Malta campus and in a number of public spaces in Sliema and Valletta. These sessions reached out invitingly to the general public, students, and art’s professionals, enticing them to come see the new and upcoming theatre and dance that is available.
In the lead-up to the premiere of ‘Penelope:Dust in our awakened dreams’, news and reviews of the creative process can be found on www.rubber-bodies.com/blog/category/notes/penelope-2012. Previously unpublished records of intimate and transitional moments between the creators are available, revealing an insight on the secrets and realities of the creative process.
While performances began on 2 March, the solo performance production continues today and on 9, 10 and 11 March at the MITP Theatre, St. Christopher Street, Valletta, 8pm. Tickets can be bought from St James Cavalier, Valletta. For further information email [email protected] or contact 99602888.