Die Suche nach dem Kleid

Georg Reischl began a two-year stint at Scapino as tutor and choreographer in December 2006.
In 1999, he left Scapino having danced there for four seasons. Since then, he has created a number of pieces for Scapino as guest choreographer.
In 2005 he devised 'Die Suche Nach Dem Kleid' with six dancers for the Austrian dance company Abcdancecompany. Now he has reworked it for twelve dancers with live music.

Georg Reischl: "Returning to Scapino feels like an organic change - going back to what you know. To do this, I gave up being a dancer, even though that's not how it feels to me.
It's the first time I've been able to look at my work from another angle, as choreographer, and explore it in more depth.
Now, once I've created a piece, I don't have to leave again immediately.
New challenges are important but it's also great to be back in the studio at Scapino, which feels like home to me."

"I grew up in Austria and, every year, the 'Opernball' carnival is held in Vienna, a traditional event where people dance the waltz.
When I was young this had enormous impact on me and, as a choreographer, I've always wanted to do something with it.
In 'Die Suche Nach Dem Kleid' I wanted to use Tchaikovsky's waltz from his composition 'Serenade'.
I also commissioned Michiel Jansen for a composition. The live music performance by a string ensemble also makes it even more highly charged for me.

'Die Suche Nach Dem Kleid' isn't just about the waltz, but about tradition and my relationship with Austria. I didn't want a literal translation of the Opernball and the waltz, but wanted to give the feel of it - my feeling.

The piece begins with a dancer entering an unfamiliar world. One dancer is dressed differently from the rest, and tries to find the right clothing to fit the occasion. Which isn't easy, because the dress code changes during his search.

'Die Suche Nach dem Kleid' is about tradition and about the process of change. I cover the entire stage with white paper, and also incorporate it into parts of the costumes. Of course the paper tears, which changes the clothing and the stage.
People and traditions change.
Values change.
I've changed since leaving Austria and perhaps Austria's changed too. When I go back now and then, I feel a foreigner, but without being judgemental. I think you can only have an opinion of a culture's values and traditions if you're part of them, not from a distance."

Alongside his work as a choreographer, Georg Reischl has also been teaching classes in body awareness since December. The training is based on the improvisations and techniques of William Forsythe, and Reischl has created his own variant, as do many who work with Forsythe. The training focuses on ways of working with time, space and the body. Reischl divides the body into geometric areas and patterns. What happens in one pattern influences what happens in other zones. The training is intended to improve concentration, coordination and improvisation. Reischl: "To me, improvisation doesn't mean just doing any old thing. To feel free in your movements you've first got to learn what you can do with your body. You can't repeat improvisation but you can repeat it from a described task that fits into a concept.