Songs of Absence

“Songs” and “absence”, the two main words in the title, constitute both the content and program for this work. “Absence” looks from a feminist perspective at the things that are missing, not visible, disappear into the interstices, want to be spoken or not, and questions whether absences are “merely” an unwillingness or inability to see. “Songs” refers to a formal engagement, both with the song form and album structure itself, as well as, in the long term, with the performance structure that can move between individual songs and the complete album. It is about the composition, the physical, sonorous, spatial composition of an evening that functions like a polyphonic parkour: multivoiced – polyphonic, an autonomy and independence of voices.

Konjetzky's starting point is often a very concrete topic and situation, and a very pedestrian body. A contemporary body, being formed, educated, represented in our contemporary context, working with this body in contemporary dance means for her: understanding the body as a way of reflecting, and experiencing, dis-linking the body from habits, norms, and codes, rewriting, and creating new references, starting transformation practices and ways of resistance. Her work happens within socio-political research, driven by a queer-feminist perspective. 

2023, 71 min, in English

Songs of Absence can be watched at a discounted price for school and extracurricular groups. In this case, please write to us at sara.sabec@cityofwomen.org

Choreography, Artistic Direction & Stage: Anna Konjetzky; Co-Creation & Dance: Sahra Huby, Amie Jammeh, Sotiria Koutsopetrou, Jin Lee, Quindell Orton, Martha Pasakopoulou, Hannah Schillinger; Music: Sergej Maingardt; Costume Design: Dimos Klimenof; Video Design: Ann Slote; Lighting: Ramona Lehnert; Production Management : Elsa Büsing; Press: Simone Lutz; Distrubution: Godlive Lawani - Stane Performing Arts Management; Organisation and coproduction: City of Women in collaboration with Bunker and Old Power Station - Elektro Ljubljana; Production: Anna Konjetzky; Coproduction: Elsa Büsing; Supported by NPN (Nationales Performance Netz), Goethe Institut Ljubljana, Municipality of Ljubljana, Ministry of Culture, Federal Commissioner for Cultural and Media Affairs of Germany.