Choreography, sets and costumes Marco Goecke

Performer Mario La Terza

Choreography assistant Giovanni di Palma

Lighting: Re-adaptation Marco Policastro

Music by Johnny Cash

Re-production for Spellbound Contemporary Ballet

Duration 12′

The project Spellbound 25 is a Spellbound production realised with the contribution of the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism and Lazio Region – Department for Culture, Youth Policies and Creative Lazio in collaboration with Embassy of Spain in Rome and in co-production with MilanoOltre and Cult!ur Partner.

“Äffi”, one of Marco Goecke’s most internationally successful creations, was included in the repertoire of the Scapino Ballet in Rotterdam in 2006, and was performed by Tadayoshi Kokeguchi in 2006 in Istanbul and 2008 in New York. Although Arman Zazyan, Damiano Pettenella, William Moore, David Moore, Robert Robinson, Mischa van Leuven and – so far the only woman – Katja Wünsche have studied the solo, the most memorable performance is that of the phenomenal Marijn Rademaker, who starred in the premiere, which in 2006 earned him the prestigious German theatre prize “Der Faust” (“The Fist”) as “Best Dance Performer”, awarded for the first time that year. Spellbound Contemporary Ballet is the only Italian production company to have this creation in its repertoire.

Goecke’s gesture is also based on the grammar of classical technique, but strongly contaminated by the expressions of German tanztheater: “The engine of my work is anguish, it can become a source of hope. Making anguish visible and palpable in order to transform it into beauty”, says Goecke in the revealing documentary A fleur de peau, made by Manon Lichtveld and Bas Westerhof , in which the artist takes us inside the passion for theatre he discovered at the age of 14, the panic attacks he began when he was young, and the wonder of creation. “Escaping from the body, escaping from one’s limits is what I try to do with the fast movements of my vocabulary”, explains the artist.