souvenir

Christina Ciupke presented her new piece souvenir at ”Tanztheater International”. A rectangle of light gradually pushes its way into the darkened space, precisely illuminating her shoulder, leaving the body above and below shrouded in shadows. The section of light grows minutely larger and smaller, and just in the moment when you think that time is growing a bit long in all the repetitions and new beginnings, the shoulder area begins to move, turning back and forth as if it had a mechanism installed. Arms fly apart, arms are thrown outwards, the head has its own pace. Finally the body comes apart, shifts, shoulders, neck and torso are displaced like in a folding picture gone wrong. This proficient display of passion is followed by calm. Also emotionally. For Christina Ciupke (in collaboration with Kerstin Follenius and especially the musician Martin Schüttler) is, in her, what can be called, opulent reductionism and concentration, able to not only forcibly heighten the level of awareness for subtle changes, for the sense of time, the interaction of sound and movement, but also to create an atmosphere that is emotionally touching.

Katja Schneider, tanzjournal 04/5