Tanz Atelier Wien

The starting point for the artistic production is space itself. Extraordinary concepts and compositions evolve in it, which join dance, music, the visual arts and film into new statements. Sebastian Prantl, choreographer/dancer and Cecilia Li, pianist, develop multifaceted projects, pieces for ensemble, concerts, symposia and labs, which they network globally.
Since 1988 over thirty project series have been realised which have investigated specific topics of contemporary dance/choreography e.g. F. Kiesler's "Space Stage”; W. Shakespeare's "Hamlet“, P. Mondrian's last painting "Boogie Woogie”, S. Freud's "The Interpretation of Dreams”, eikon, carthasis, iconostasis, kairos… The musical concepts comprise classical, modern as well as contemporary music ranging from Domenico Scarlatti via John Cage and Friedrich Cerha to David Lang.

The Atelier also functions as a think tank and lab for projects and interventions which refine new positions in contemporary dance/choreography for enhanced concepts both inwardly and outwardly and which are transferred to as varied venues as churches, swimming pools, railway stations, villages squares, black boxes, opera houses, museums and concert halls.

The uninterrupted work on an appropriate dance gesture is evolving along thematic and spatial frameworks which are sounded out by the protagonists with regard to content, enhanced, scrutinised and as a result concretised into pieces. This is all based on a return of dance to its concepts (= pure research).  A prerequisite for this is a dialectical approach in which the multicultural (dancers) ensemble introduces its own languages of dance, and which is then seized on by the choreographer, distilled and interwoven. The problem is then to initiate this process, drive it on, abstract it and network it:

…When you see, hear and experience what is taking place within this atmospheric space, what Sebastian Prantl, Cecilia Li and their dance ensemble create out of space, music and movement, it becomes clear that it is not a question of the presentation of a virtuoso gesture independent of people.  For what is evidently and most importantly emerging on the changing “stages“ is a relationship. Not only a relationship to music, space and the audience but also and above all that between the dancers themselves…..

www.tanzatelierwien.at