Touches in the Mist
A dreamscape in which one communicates through movement. A dose of metaphors in the form of a dance infusion. A contact of a Bulgarian ensemble with a mythical creature and its offspring.
The dance production of selected fragments of the ballad “Erkling” performed by the students of NAFTA dramatized the journey of the Father and the Son into the unknown. The aimless wandering suddenly becomes the main concern of a mythical force which mainly influences the young Son. While the Father only perceives simple and at first glance obvious natural phenomena, the Son feels the presence of the unknown. Natural entities have been given their hands, a collective consciousness, and seven human forms with their own attributes. The group of the unknown women evokes a Macbeth-like atmosphere. They gradually introduce themselves, each with their own charisma and way of communicating. Their balladic prophecies and individual dance creations create a shadow play. The emotions experienced in the mind of the Son are depicted in the abstract images projected on a large projection screen.
The Daughters of the Forest Spirit seem like ancient Sirens calling out to their victims with an alluring voice. They toss the Son from one embrace to another, from emotion to emotion, as they dance. A prominent element in the evocative choreography is its musical component, which is in harmony with the fractious relationships between the characters, and which emphasises the theme of hopelessness. Crowd manipulation, stemming from the elemental and natural imagination of the seven daughters, is toying with the Son’s life compass; showing him an unclear future, making him more indecisive, but at the same time coquettishly luring him to surrender himself to them fully. The full moon ritual dance is a beautiful and emotionally powerful demonstration of the Son’s inability to break free from the round brightness of the Moon. In this way, it depicts a desperate condition whose boundaries cannot be transcended.
