ONE BODY IS NOT ENOUGH

a dance performance (BE/SI)

NEST Institute

The performance lasts 55 minutes and has no intermission.

The bodies are understood as a social mycelium, which in the absence of the "I" suddenly become a present "we". Dancing mycelia thus become a tool of articulation and actualizion of a social discourse.

Concept and direction Agostina D’Alessandro
Created with and performed by Milan Tomášik, Kristýna Peldová, Žigan Krajnčan, Agostina D’Alessandro and Kristijan Krajnčan
Original music Kristijan Krajnčan
Light design David Cvelbar
Costumography Vesna Mirtelj
Author of video and photography August Adrian Braatz
Director of photography in video Dejan Ulaga
Graphic design Rok Marinšek
Executive producer Urška Centa
Producer Goran Pakozdi
Production NEST Institute
Co-production Flota, Murska Sobota, Flota, Ljubljana
Partner Adrian film Institute
Special thanks to Andreja Kopač
With the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of Slovenia and City of Ljubljana

One body is not enough is a space for exploring identity and the multiplicity represented by a single body. In a shared space, four dancers play with their political bodies to highlight key questions: How is our identity constructed? Is it determined by our bodies? Perhaps by our cultural identity? Or maybe by our family background? This piece reflects on what defines us, starting with the body and its gender, a gender identity that is linked to a family, a social group, a culture, and a particular country.

The work attempts to grasp the notion of a multitude through four collaborating dancers from four different countries: Slovenia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Argentina. These diverse origins provide a broad canvas for a radical exploration of the following questions: What are our unique social gestures? Can we discern elements of our own identities in our movements? Is it possible to detect atavism within us? And what distinguishes us in our individual homelands?

One Body Is Not Enough examines the concept of identity to better understand the complexity of interpersonal relationships, as well as the resulting verbal and non-verbal communication, language, social adaptation, and individual behaviors that interact with the community. The physical postures of the family, the movements of the body that represent the homeland—everything that allows us to identify ourselves—serves as research material in this piece.
The performance is based on the complex and transformative method Conscious Release, developed by Agostina d’Alessandro. Conscious Release™ is the culmination of years of experience and research in the fields of body mechanics, philosophy, physics, movement theories, and a metaphysical approach to dance. This technique optimizes body perception by building awareness of the dancer’s current state and abilities. In Conscious Release™, the body becomes a borderless tool for imagination and dance patterns. By contemplating inner space and releasing tension, the method creates an effective means to disrupt habitual patterns and formal movements in dance. This process allows for full creativity to emerge, where form appears only to serve a unique expression of the present moment. The Conscious Release™ method has received research grants from the Federation Wallonie-Bruxelles Service de la Danse (2018) and from Centre Chorégraphique Charleroi Danses (2020).

Agostina d’Alessandro is an Argentine choreographer, performer, and teacher who has been living in Brussels, Belgium, since 2002. She is the co-founder of the dance collective SoloConversations, which has been active since 2007. Over the past decade, this group of artists has released numerous dance projects. In March 2016, the collective premiered their latest piece, The Grave is Yawning, directed by Alexandre Tissot, at Le Théâtre de la Vie in Brussels. Since 2011, Agostina has been part of the creative team for improvisation and composition at the Royal Conservatory of Dance in Antwerp, where she has created the following performances: Reload in Motion & Zôgraphos (2013), Suggested Emotions & Virtus (2014), Synchronicity, Evoked Potential & Abstract Entity (2015), Mine Is Yours & Flexible Identity (2016), Insight & There (2017), Unblocked & Look Beyond Me (2018), Malleable Reality & Hear Those Voices (2019). Agostina’s work is supported by Federation Wallonie-Bruxelles and is accompanied by Grand Studio. Her most recent work as an author, Formless Mirror, was premiered at Brussels Dance! in February 2020 at the Senghor Theater. Last year, she created Unfinished in collaboration with SOZO - Visions in Motion, which was performed in Kassel, Germany.

Milan Tomášik (SK/SI) is a choreographer, performer, and teacher of contemporary dance. He has been educated at the J.L. Bell Conservatory (SK), the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (SK), and P.A.R.T.S (BE). Over the past twenty years, he has performed professionally and collaborated with artists across Europe. As the co-founder of the dance collective Les SlovaKs, Milan has created and performed internationally acclaimed works. In his role as a choreographer, he has developed numerous pieces for both international producers and his own company, Milan Tomášik & Co. As a guest teacher worldwide, Milan leads his signature workshops, Happy Feet and Playful Presence. At the Impulstanz Festival (AT), he was awarded the Dance Web Scholarship and the Prize of the City of Prievidza (SK) for his contributions to contemporary dance both at home and abroad.

Kristýna Peldová (CZ/SI) is a performer, choreographer, and teacher based in the Czech Republic and Slovenia. She studied at the Duncan Centre Conservatory in Prague and graduated from the Royal Conservatory in Antwerp. She joined the Spitfire Company, contributing to projects like Constellations I and II. Since moving to Slovenia in 2017, she has collaborated with renowned artists on productions such as Chorus at Kino Šiška, Tristan's Chord or Sweet Afternoon, and Bitter Fruits of Justice at SNG Drama. She has also worked on Sounds Under the Skin, Gregor Luštek’s Three Sisters, and the ambient dance concert Love Me Tender. Peldová actively teaches improvisation, focusing on movement expression.

Žigan Krajnčan (SI) is a versatile artist excelling as a director, choreographer, dancer, performer, actor, dance teacher, and singer. A pioneer of freestyle hip hop and popping in Slovenia, he has collaborated with renowned directors at the Slovenian National Theatre. Krajnčan's global presence includes over 80 performances across America, China, and Europe, with awards such as the Ksenja Hribar Award, 1st place at CICC Copenhagen, 1st place at the 10 Sentidos Festival in Spain, and 2nd place at the 21st FKM in Belgrade. Notably, he created "Alien Express" (2016) with Gašper Kunšek, evolving it into "Alien Express 2nd Flight" with music and lighting. In the past four years, Krajnčan has directed seven performances, choreographed ten works, and danced in six performances. He has taught various dance styles in Slovenia, China, Bulgaria, and Brazil, continually pushing the boundaries of his art.

Kristijan Krajnčan (SI) graduated in jazz drums from the Prince Claus Conservatory in the Netherlands in 2009. In 2013, he earned his Master's degree in Film Music from the Amsterdam Conservatory, with additional studies at Purchase College in New York. Renowned as one of the most prominent and prolific European artists of his generation, Krajnčan is a virtuoso on both the cello and drums, as well as a composer and filmmaker. His unique ability to fuse different artistic forms sets him apart. Krajnčan has collaborated on 52 albums and performed in over 25 countries across Europe, the USA, Asia, Indonesia, the Middle East, and Africa. As a film music composer, he has scored three feature films and ten short films. His contributions extend to numerous dance and theatre productions, showcasing his versatility as both a performer and composer.