CONTINUUM
CONTINUUM
Push, pull and release
The tension created before an action,
the eco of it and
the end of the action
SATORI expression
for deep comprehension of life
“Continuum” a 5 min contemporary/conceptual dance piece, was performed as a work-in-progress on July 9th, 2023 at Styggbo choreographic residency workshop in Sweden curated by Julia Ehrstrand. It was created during the residency by sarAika movement collective’s founders Sara Pizzi and Aika Takeshima, performed by them with Sandy Albrecht, Ranvnvá Guõrunardóttir Niclasen, Anneloes Van Schuppen and Catrin Jonasson. “Continuum” rotates around the exploration of the three conceptual notions of:
- push, pull and release
- The tension created before an action and the eco of it and the end of the action
- SATORI expression for deep comprehension of life
Curator: Julia Ehrstrand
Artistic advisors: Julia Ehrstrand, Andreas Erbrink
Special thanks: Helena Ehrstrand
“Continuum” rotates around the exploration of the three conceptual notions of:
push, pull and release
The tension created before an action, the eco of it and the end of the action
SATORI expression for deep comprehension of life
description
(continuing)
Push, Pull and Release is the actual title of the music utilized to choreograph this short dance piece. Dynamic, full of opposition, hard musicality, a real exercise to patience and wait, it was the perfect fit to adapt these concepts to sarAika movement quality. Related to these three movement qualities, those are the inspiration of each movement and transition because it deeply resonates with the visual and conceptual lawyer of this choreography.
Digging into the concept itself –
in order to push, pull or release, the body needs to create a tension, in a sense of activation and awakening, in order to create an action
At the end of this action, the movement and tension does not vanish, instead there is still the presence of the remembrace of the energy echoing the action.
This happens in the active body which executes the action, as an audience member watching a performance. Even the brain is able to register faster all the motions, the eye is able to capture only a small part, leaving the trace of the memory of what we just see, creating the room for the momentum to connect the past action to another action. The same process happens with our memory, emotions, feelings as sensations. Playing with the empty room between the initiation of an action and the memory (with all the feelings, expectations, emotions) of a past action, amplifying the value of this space full of potential, letting people being unexpectedly surprised as leaving enough space to reflect of what happened, building their own thread of connection between our movements and their emotions.
On the other hand, the relationship with the Japanese concept of Satori is based on the statement of “life is a cycle of suffering and rebirth”. In other words, we live in the normality which is normal when hard situations arise- rather, there is no one who keeps having happy situations always. Acknowledging the path of an alternation of suffering/struggling/challenging moments with moments of success, accomplishment and fullfilment, we can be able to take even the harsh events for your future lessons because we know and utilize those down moments as a learning experience and get stronger. This is enlightment in life = deep comprehension of life. The choreography reflects this concept of enlightenment in life.
Come back(Crawling in)→Stand→Rebirth(Electricity)→Start walking→Various pathways of life→Stress→Find support→Release tension/stress→Purification(Melting&Crawling out)→REPEAT
Cast & Crew
Sara Pizzi
Choreographer & Dancer
Aika Takeshima
Choreographer & Dancer
Catrin Jonasson
Dancer
Catrin Jonasson is a Swedish dancer and choreographer. Since her graduation from the Ballet Academy in Stockholm she has been freelancing with different creators such as Minna Krook, aliEn dance company and Mireia Pinol. She is also the creative director of the company Framework Dancing Art together with Veronica Hammarlund.
Anneloes van Schuppen
Dancer
Anneloes van Schuppen (1993) is a dancer, choreographer and educator from the Netherlands. In New York, she is currently working with dance companies The Next Stage Project, choreography by Marijke Eliasberg and Baira MVMNT PHLOSPHY, choreography by Shaina Baira, Bryan Baira and Joey Mattar. In Sweden she had the chance to perform in a piece by Saraika, choreographed by founders of Saraika Sara Pizzi and Aika Takeshima. In the Netherlands, she works with various Dutch and international choreographers, creates her own works and guest teaches at universities of the arts (Codarts Rotterdam and Academy of Theatre and Dance Amsterdam). Anneloes is very much engaged in community arts and inclusive dance. Her belief that dance is for everyone brings her to work with diverse groups of people, from elderly homes to special education schools to people with Parkinsons or MS. To share the power of dance, on and off stage, is what she loves the most.
Sandy Albrecht
Dancer
Sandy Albrecht is a contemporary dancer with influences from Breaking, Improvisation,
Jazz, Modern, Street and Funk Styles.
2020 Sandy Albrecht graduated from her 3-year dance education “Höhere Fachschule
für zeitgenössischen und urbanen Bühnentanz” (English translation: Higher Professional
School for Contemporary and Urban Stage Dance) in Zurich, Switzerland. Since then,
Sandy is working as a freelance dancer and choreographer in Switzerland and abroad,
among others in New York City. She successfully completed the 7th semester of her
dance education in Switzerland 2022 – 2023, which earned her a Bachelor (Honour
Degree) of Arts Urban and Contemporary Dance.
Thanks to her educations, she got the opportunity to work with choreographers such as
Béatrice Goetz, Jochen Heckmann, Olivia Hernandez-Candelas, Denise Lampart,
Janyce Michellod, Luca Signoretti, Rafael Smadja, Marco Volta and others.
With "What Do You Mean?", Sandy created her first short piece in 2020, which
premiered at Kulturmarkt Zurich, Switzerland. She was allowed to perform the piece
again in the same year at the Summer Edition at TANZWERK101 in Zurich, Switzerland.
This was followed by a request to choreograph for the lila. queer festival at the Rote
Fabrik in Zurich, Switzerland, whereupon she premiered "360° realness" also in 2020.
Sandy is production assistant for the evening piece "B-Girl Battles" which premiered in
2023 in Bau3 in Basel, Switzerland and toured the cities of Zurich, Bern and Lucerne.
She participated in many national and international workshops, which gave her
the opportunities to work with choreographers such as Iratxe Ansa und Igor Bacovich
(Metamorphosis), Julia Ehrstrand, Emma Evelein, Emily Greenwell, Alek Palinski und
Julia Spiesser.
She is a member of the Swiss based dance companies KoHalition Dance and
FLUX crew. She is teaching contemporary dance at the dance school Tanzerei in
Lucerne, Switzerland.
Rannvá Guðrunardóttir Niclasen
Dancer
Julia Ehrstrand
Curator & Artistic advisor
Andreas Erbrink
Artistic advisor
Helena Ehrstrand
Special Thanks
Faustine Lavie
Dancer (U.S cast)
Mayu Nakaya
Dancer (U.S cast)
Maitlin Jordan
Dancer (U.S cast)
Haley Morgan Miller
Dancer (U.S cast)
Lumina Kobayashi
Dancer (Japan cast)
Suzuka Matsumoto
Dancer (Japan cast)
Manaka Kijima
Dancer (Japan cast)
