COPPELIA REVISITED
April 18, 2013
Production: Dance Company Stadttheater Giessen
6 dancers
Choreography: Massimo Gerardi
Music: Delibes & collage electronic music
Sets and costumes: Michele Lorenzini
Dramaturgy: Johanna Milz
Premiere June 2011
Already from the ancient times mankind has been busy with the idea of creating artificial persons like puppets, golems, robots, clones or avatars. A puppet can hold a particular fascination: it substitutes the human body, takes the life out of it but at the same time simulates it. Instead of being a real dialogue partner, it acts as an empty shell in which you can project anything. Based on the novel “der Sandmann” by E.T.A. Hoffmann the choreographer investigates the phenomena of manipulation, control, obsession and the projection of the own ego in the interaction with puppets, as well as the desire of giving them life.
It has to be said that the perceptions of this piece and the following discussions were controversial, which was also the purpose of the choreographer. The male public was quite at ease with this “depiction of reality” mixed with sexy moments. On the contrary, it sometime reached the pain threshold of the female public, especially in the rape scenes. Current issues come into play; during the rehearsal period a sexual abuse case by a well known statesman dominated the world news …M. Gerardi takes time to tell his story. In this way he gives the dancers much space for sophisticated solos and unusual duets… Tanznetz.de