The modern dance play named “Talk To Me” is dedicated to the100th anniversary of Armenian genocide. The project is being executed by a theatrical union « Sate-Atre » of France. The main purpose of this project is to portray a cultural artistic dialogue between Armenia and Turkey. It is extremely important to understand how the descendants of two nations, survivors and those who are considered responsible for the massacres, deal with the problem after one century. They meet to talk about the pain and to restart the interrupted dialogue from the point of interruption. Through the Armenian genocide we are going to discuss all the genocides that ever happened against humanity. Two female artists, one an Armenian and the other a Turkish, meet each other on the cultural arena to break the silence, the hatred, and the intolerance. We are not preparing ourselves to transform a cultural dialogue into a historical examination, nor a political debate. There is no doubt about the Armenian genocide, and no need to analyze to know whether it happened or not, since there is proof that this has taken place. Instead, we are trying to find ways of peaceful coexistence in the same geographical area. The problem of genocide is crucial in terms of consideration and evaluation. It is not a coincidence that France was chosen to be the country for this project. In fact, France is one of the first countries in the world to acknowledge the Armenian genocide and furthermore, France strived to initiate reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey. In addition, France was the last heaven for Komitas who was born in Turkey, then lived in Armenia, and died in France. The play will perform in descending order of Komitas’s life. It will start in France, continue in Armenia, and come to an end in Turkey. The Project The languages of art-dance and theatre that complete each other were chosen as the means to represent the tragedy of 1915. The power of both spoken and body languages will complete the words stabbed by silence. The play “Talk to Me” is based on Komitas’s music, modern dance, and literary heritage of Edmond Jabes. It is called international because of the diverse ethnic backgrounds of team members. Producer-director Sate Khachatryan and musician Vahan Artzruni are Armenians, choreographer Zeynep Tambay is Turkish, the author (of poetry) Edmond Jabes has Jewish roots, and the eight dancers represent different ethnicities as well. The purpose of this project is not limited by spreading, or expanding on the idea of genocide, it mainly contains aesthetical solutions to the problem. It is interesting to see how artists of diverse backgrounds feel and express the absolutely Armenian, and at the same time universal, music of Komitas. Therefore, the introductory part consists of much improvisation. Each of our artists will sound his/her native language. Modern choreography is mainly based on Armenian folk elements. We look forward to spreading the immortal music of Komitas who edited our music from Middle Eastern influence. One of the purposes of the project is to bring recognition to the immortal musical arrangements of Komitas, who first and foremost sanctified Armenian music, purifying it of strict Eastern influence. Through the work of musical director and composer, Vahan Artzruni, we will have the opportunity to hear some of Komitas’s music that is not well-known or widespread. Main Purpose This play represents not only the first genocide of XX century, but also all crimes against the humanity. Our purpose is not just to educate people on massacres, but most importantly to find a solution on how to overcome this pain, to revive our faith towards life, to become different without losing our identity, to create a different kind of life, to talk, to communicate, to forgive, and continue living without forgetting. In essence, it is to relearn the art of life and living. The challenge of this project is how to talk about certain phenomena that are impossible to express in words. How to sound the words buried in silence, and finally, how to formulate the silence? This is why we have chosen body language as a means of expression, which, as opposed to expression with spoken language, can express what cannot be said. How can we talk to God after this silence? Our aesthetical goal is to rewrite our memory through Komitas’s music and contemporary dance, rooted in silence and yet branching off with words. This play expresses the pain and emotions of all people who experienced the atrocities of genocide. Can people talk with one voice? The memory will speak through Komitas’s voice and his music will take us beyond the pain and tears. We will never be able to erase the tears, because the memories are irreversible, because it is still present and alive. Format: Dance as a Means of Confession Where words are no longer satisfactory, body language is there to fulfill the silence. The overall play is a variation of two different ways of expression, speech and body language. The 8 dancers represent a choir. However, in some parts they perform solo, as well as duo or trio. The play is first of all an attempt to reconciliation, a motion towards each other. Some texts will be pronounced through gesture and will slowly transform into a dance. Some scenes are dedicated to dance and/or action monologues. The texts of Edmond Jabe’s interrupt the scenes as an uncontrolled need to cut through the silence, a need to abandon body and to reach the eternal-the human soul. Here are the main motifs of the play: The dramaturgical motif represents a trial of conciliation through dialogue. The musical motif represents “Chinar Es” by Komitas. The text represents exile and emigration. The play is divided to 3 parts: 1. Accomplishment(or failure) of dialogue/gesture of conciliation 2. Solo symphony/flow of monologues 3. White marching/motion to each other Musical arrangements by Vahan Artzruni provide us with a great opportunity to read the dramatic poem, which does not limit us. On the contrary, it helps us realize and value the history of the past and the present that we share. Silence in music and dance is a necessity. Both the producer and the choreographer are directly related to the problem of the Armenian genocide. For this reason, we felt that we could entrust them with production and the visual work, which can evoke emotional messages that should be focused on the aforementioned problem, the topic of genocide. Komitas has composed hymns as well as pieces used in Divine Liturgy, filled with faith. Religious music elaborated by Komitas emphasizes on God’s silence. Two matters; sand (desert) and water (ocean) that are substantially present in Jabes’ poetry, embody the genocide story. For Armenians, the desert is associated with the exile, for they were deported to Der el Zor in Syria and a majority died afterwards. On the other hand, the desert symbolizes the unknown eternal path. Some writers view the desert as the crib of death, and the water as the spring of life. Through this, the subject of genocide includes massacres and death, as well as life. The descendants of the genocide are still alive. This is a sign that life is victorious over death and over forgetting the past. When sand and water start to dance, we know that only one of the two will survive. The same is with life and death unfair battle. Only one of the two survives. This play respects all those who paid the price of this war. Our two materials, sand and water, make up a part of the decorations used in staging. Komitas and Jabes Komitas is one of the most distinguished figures of Armenian culture. It is not a coincidence that he is the symbol of pain of genocide and the living witness, the symbol of life and death, pain and power, massacre and immortality of a nation that was able to survive and revive. In 1915, on April 24, he was arrested along with 600 Armenian intellectuals in Turkey. His life was saved through the pressure of international community as a world-renowned musician. Unfortunately, massacres, arrest, imprisonment, and the horror affected Komitas’s spiritual state, and he lived in a psychiatric clinic in France for 20 years. As an exceptionally talented musician, composer, and instructor, Komitas’s heritage is a treasure in terms of understanding and knowing the roots of our ethnic music, enjoying this exceptional opportunity. He travelled through Armenia gathering forgotten melodies and even pieces that were on the verge of extinction. Within a few years he collected 1200 samples of our ethnic melodies. Komitas’s great role is also indisputable in academic elaboration and deciphering of Armenian notes called khaz. As we have already mentioned, the literary framework of the play will be the literary heritage of Edmond Jabes, particularly, one of his essays called “A Foreigner Carrying in the Crook of His Arm a Tiny Book”. Jabes, who was born in Egypt, later became a citizen of France. He was enforced to leave his motherland because of his Jewish ethnicity. The pain of exile became the main matter for his creation, which widely represents wandering, deportation and the silence of God. Jabes works are often known as a “…doubt and philosophical challenge about being Jewish.” We can see the author as undoubtedly poetic and forever lonely and mute. Through the subject of exile Jabes considers the human as an eternal stranger on the Earth. Every land can become a motherland for a human being, however, nowhere is his real motherland, because he is a stranger everywhere. This particular mentality is being widely shared by both survivors of the Armenian genocide and the Jewish shoah, who are scattered/dissipated throughout the whole planet. Just like Jabes, Komitas also shares the bitter destiny of his nation/people, who were forced to wander their motherland, to make their own motherland, sometimes finding it and sometimes not. The Play We found it extremely important to have a conversation/dialogue between Armenians and Turkish people; therefore, we expect to present our play in Yerevan and Istanbul. In 2015, we are going to participate in Avignon festival, as it is the best way to be heard by international society. In 2010, we participated in the event “In Remembrance of April 24” which took place in the Republic Square in Paris. The micro-play was mostly based on improvisation and was afterwards presented at different universities and stages gaining interest and finding encouragement.
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 10:30:24 +0000
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