Rootless Root gets physical again
When Greek audiences first saw Linda Kapetanea and Jozef Frucek of the Rootless Root company performing at the 2007 Kalamata International Dance Festival, they left feeling that they had just witnessed a new energy, the fresh prospects of the country?s dance scene. The piece, ?Sudden Showers of Silence,? pulsated with raw energy and violence as the dancers? bodies wrestled, slammed into each other and embraced.
Starting on February 11, Rootless Root will be presenting its latest production, ?Eyes in the Color of the Rain,? at the Onassis Cultural Center.
?The problem with the human body is its temporary nature,? the dancers told Kathimerini.
Kapetanea and Frucek met when they were both dancing for the famed Flemish choreographer Wim Vandekeybus?s Ultima Vez company. They came to Greece in 2006 and created Rootless Root, taking their baby daughter with them to performances they staged at major festivals around the country. More performances followed in Greece, though the couple also traveled extensively abroad for a number of top European festivals, including the 2009 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where they received a Herald Angel Award.
What is the driving force behind the evolution of Rootless Root?
It?s hard to say how the company is evolving or where it is going. We often wake up, stare at the ceiling and wonder why we are doing it at all: the work, the trips, the teaching, the arguments what?s the point? What are we looking for? Do we really need to make our dreams come true? Who cares? But this struggle always leads us to a significant conclusion: We want to and we can share the arguments that mirror the world, the emotions and images that are boiling inside us and which, if we allow them to remain unexpressed, will poison our very existence. Over the past four years we have created nine pieces and installations for six separate groups, including Rootless Root. We have made around 200 performances and taught in many different places.
The body is the protagonist in your work in an almost violent yet intellectual way. How do you perceive your work?
Many people try to impose upon us an image of who we are, even if we aren?t quite sure who we are ourselves. We may miss the mark when it comes to having a ?clean? presence and aesthetic, some intellectuals may be confused by what we do, but our concern is about the human body: making it disappear, destroying it, in order to release the pain that comes with being human. Our new piece, ?Eyes in the Color of the Rain,? is another collision between matter and the soul. It is a piece about life trying to come back from inexistence.
Onassis Cultural Center, 107-109 Syngrou, tel 213.178.000. Performances will be held February 11-13
