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CONTACT (première étape) – Festival
d'Avignon 2004
Press
20.07.2004
(Eliot Dardy: "La vingt-cinquième heure" (The twenty fifth hour): "CONTACT première étape" by Philippe Olza in Benoît-XII)
(...) Philippe Olza, Swiss-Belgian with an extremely varied background and training, worked as an acrobat, a revue dancer, ballet dancer before turning his attention to choreography. Today Olza brings us "CONTACT première étape" (first phase) following the general movement in the dance arts towards a broader understanding of theatre. Olza enlisted Carlotta Sagna and Robert Suermondt to accompany the project, contributing their view from the outside, so to speak. Olza continues to approach dance with a contemporary choreography which is highly personal and closes the gap between performer and audience in an astonishing manner. "CONTACT première étape" responds with both relevance and sensitivity to the demands of "La vingt-cinquième heure" (the twenty fifth hour), debunking those tendencies which would have us establish clear "contacts" between theatrical production and the audience of tomorrow. In accordance with these expectations Olza’s performance sketches the relations and choreographic tribulation of a Keatonian character and a vacuum cleaner which would not be out of place in "mon oncle" ’s house. The spectator feels strangely moved by the relationship, at once lively and hilarious between this poetic humanoid and a practical inert, just as liable to devour as to serve him. This is touchingly funny and inconclusive. We await further developments.
22.07.2004 (Jacques Chaussepied: Sternenstaub)
(...) Stretched out on the red carpet like a common dustmite or literally fleeing his vacuum cleaner, Phippe Olza multiplies points of view, to say the least. A funny bird cutting hither and thither through space with unforeseeable jerks before boiling an egg or making coffee on the vacuum cleaner motor to the point where it is no longer clear which party determines the course of the action. Each object is deconstructed and reconstructed, including sound itself, imitated for a moment by the man who dances. And then runs in circles with an irresistible rendering of a radio-taxi (with accent) in the streets of Brussels. Or a curious Swiss sightseer. The universe has been shaken up and "released in chaos", a time for a pleasing and dadaist pirouette. Beneath the enjoyable oddities impeccable and discreet technique. Following his training at the Scuola Teatro Dimitri in Switzerland followed by the Mudra in Brussels with Maurice Béjart Olza has pursued an independent career for the last number of years performing in venues from Avignon to Oshogbo (Nigeria), from Rome to Paris. His variation on man and the vacuum cleaner was featured at the Avignon Festival 2004 as part of "La Vingt-cinquième heure" (the twenty fifth hour).
24.07.2004 (Werner Kolk: Welcome to the Machine)
(...) The 58th Avignon Festival is truly a new beginning. One comes away with the refreshing impression that contemporary theatre is not a self-congratulatory game but deals with the real world in a highly relevant way. We can only laud the new Festival director and this year’s "associated artist" Thomas Ostermeier. Their introduction of "La vingt-cinquième heure (the twenty fifth hour) in the Benoît XII chamber was certainly one of the festival’s most innovative ideas, this year’s find" (Libération, 19th July 2004). A space for experiment, a laboratory of ideas, each night at one a.m. the stage is placed at the disposal of a particular artist or group.
(...) On the evening of the 17th/18th of July the Belgian-Swiss
performer Philippe Olza presented "CONTACT", the
first stage in a new solo dance choreography: man meets
vacuum cleaner. Initially one is curious, and finally enthralled
by the accomplishment of the dancer. The set is simple,
consisting of three elements: a man, a square of red carpet,
a yellow industrial vacuum cleaner. While the audience takes
their seats the man sleeps under the carpet. He slowly awakens,
stands and switches on the vacuum cleaner. Making contact…welcome
to the machine. The man strives (but what does he strive
for?) to clean his territory; his opposite number - his
only "contact" the machine. One is reminded of
Francis Bacon, of paintings in which the (human) figure
seeks to escape from a structure in which it is imprisoned.
The action on stage therefore becomes a metaphor for our
situation: the loneliness of the modern human being caught
up in a cocoon. The vacuum cleaner finally transforms itself
into an all-purpose machine, from camping equipment to a
means of communication with a virtual external world. Philippe
Olza speaks of our fate, our tragic-comic modern times.
We aspired to happiness and ended up cleaning away dust
- a symbol of our death. The performance is very funny,
however it is ourselves we are laughing at. With great technical
mastery Philippe Olza ranges through the entire palette
of dance theatre, combining words and movement. We are reminded
of Susanne Linke’s encounter with a bath tub; Olza’s
performance is however so unique since he foregoes a technique
of distancing alienation, working rather with subtle shifts
through which a banal scene acquires an extraordinary meaning.
In this he resembles Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton. At
the end of the performance the dancer circles his territory
- the red carpet - with ever increasing speed - like a heavenly
body in its orbit, until he finally catapults himself through
the exit... or is he swallowed up by emptiness? "CONTACT
première étape" by Philippe Olza. A glorious
success.
08.09.2004 (Marie Dulcamara: Philippe Olza back in Avignon for the "twentyfifth hour")
(...) The Avignon festival has once more enlivened the city
with its rich programme of theatre, dance and music events.
New festival directors Hortense Archambault and Vincent
Baudriller may well be pleased. Philippe Olza, the Swiss-Belgian
dancer, actor and choreographer has already been well received
in Avignon on two previous occasions: 1988 with Genet's
"Le Funambule" as part of the In programme and
2000 in the Musée Calvet - with "Madame Monsieur"
under the auspices of "Avignon European City of Culture".
This year Olza presented the first stage of his solo dance
project "CONTACT (première étape)"
in the Benoît XII salle: CONTACT, an encounter between
a dancer and a vacuum cleaner, performed with great elan
and biting humour by Olza, was greeted by extended applause.
We await the continuation of this promising project with
great interest.
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