The fragility of human relationships and rising xenophobic sentiments will be dissected on stage by the ZfinMalta Dance Ensemble, which is for the first time taking its latest production Tnejn (2) out of traditional theatres and into a village parish hall.

The island's first national dance company was set up with the intention of also being the peoples' company, which is why ZfinMalta's challenging production will be staged at the Gharghur parish hall between 12 and 14 May at 8pm.

"Our mission is to intelligently engage with those who don't think they are interested in the art of dance. So we're excited about the sense of ownership adopted by the community of Gharghur who are stripping bare the parish hall to transform it into a stage," artistic director Mavin Khoo said.

Tnejn (2) is split into two choreographies consisting of re-staging Iván Pérez's  50-minute dance Exhausting Space; and Lucia Piquero's 17-minute piece Petrichor [Spanish for scent of rain].

"These pieces, choreographed by two Spanish dancers working in a diaspora ties in with ŻfinMalta's search for its Euro-Mediterranean identity," Khoo said.

The work of Iván Pérez is valued all over the world for its magnetic, poetic style of dance, and this is what inspired Khoo to stage it in Malta after seeing Exhausting Space for the first time at the Hague two years ago.

The play is about relationships and their different aspects - from closeness to aggression and humiliation, intimacy and social environment. It addresses the problem of crossing the boundaries between people in both a positive and negative sense.

The three dancers in Exhausting Space tiptoe among dozens of fresh eggs painted black, hypnotising the audience into wondering whether the shells will crack, and in turn highlighting the fragility of the situation.

Throughout the piece, the dancers peel away the layers of how thin the personal boundaries of shame, intimacy and fear are, but also highlights the many different ways of making contact with another person. 

The second piece, Petrichor, is a passionate, intense dance that was initially staged for ZfinMalta's apprentices and focuses on bringing out the strength and fluidity of the five dancers.

Khoo strongly believes in using this production to challenge the deep-seated misconceptions of those who think dance is irrelevant to their lives or feel it is something they do not understand.

"In light of the current state of the world, where we witness increasing nationalism further fuelling racist sentiments, these two works break through the stranglehold of stereotypes that clutter our everyday notions of human relations," he said.

Apart from the three nights when the show will be open to the public, the dancers will also be staging performances for school students between May 11-12.

"We hope to see many new faces in the audience... And I wonder how many of the old faces we normally see at the traditional theatres will follow us to Gharghur," Khoo said.

 

For tickets visit: https://www.ticketline.com.mt/