PRESS

“The viewer is presented with a mosaic of information that enters the consciousness from both the external environment and from inside the body. (..) Apart from being fully integrated and unified in its means of expression, the performance also demonstrates very fine work with the expression of the body, which in the performance of the two dancers acquires an amazing density and stylization, as a literally visualized mental image. The movements of the two girls are fragmentary as if they are simultaneously located in different spatial dimensions. But this polycentric bodily behavior is precise and "inhumanly" accurate. The bodies are disembodied and transformed into an idea of a body that carries the content of thought.

Perfect choreographic and performance work that creates a complete and convincing stage world. The choreography is supported by set design and music that, with measured precision, make the thought tangible and visually impactful. The music is cool and sterile as if in a space workshop, and the set design includes a projection of microscopic images that bear a striking resemblance to contemporary abstract paintings.” - The Body in Different Dimensions by Mila Iskrenova (about BLOT at Antistatic Festival)

CREDITS

Created by Simona Deaconescu & Vanessa Goodman
Performers: Simona Dabija, Maria - Luiza Dimulescu
Music: Monocube
Artistic consultants: Olivia Nitis, Marta de Menezes
Object design: Ciprian Ciuclea
Light design: Marius Costache
Photo: Adi Bulboaca, Teodora Simova
Co-producers: Tangaj Collective, Action at a Distance, The National Center for Dance Bucharest
Co-financed by The Romanian Cultural Institute, CANTEMIR Programme, AFCN - The Administration of the National Cultural Fund, Canada Council for the Arts
Supported by Cultivamos Cultura, BIOFRICTION, Left of Main, Plastic Orchid Factory

Presentation of this performance within HERE:2023 is funded by European Union Creative Europa project Beyond Front@: Bridging Periphery.

BIOS

SIMONA DEACONESCU

Crossing genres, Simona Deaconescu explores social constructs through a blend of fiction and reality, often employing irony and dark humor. She investigates future bodily scenarios and choreography in contexts where nature, history, and technology intersect. Deaconescu, who holds BAs in Choreography and Film Directing, and an MA in Choreography, founded the transdisciplinary Tangaj Collective and co-founded the Bucharest International Dance Film Festival. 

Acknowledged with the CNDB – National Centre for Dance Award, she regularly collaborates with CNDB and is recognized for her science-influenced works. Supported in the past years by research-based European Projects like Moving Digits and Biofriction, she's been nominated as an Aerowaves Artist twice and studied dance phenomenology in Madagascar as a Forecast Mentee.

VANESSA GOODMAN

Vanessa Goodman holds a BFA from Simon Fraser University and is the artistic director of Action at a Distance Dance Society. Vanessa is attracted to art that has a weight and meaning beyond the purely aesthetic and uses her choreography as an opportunity to explore the human condition. 

She has received several awards and honors, including The Iris Garland Emerging Choreographer Award (2013); The Yulanda M. Faris Scholarship (2017/18); The Chrystal Dance Prize (2019); The Schultz Endowment from Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (2019); and the Space to Fail program (2019/20) in New Zealand, Australia, and Vancouver. Vanessa has been artist-in-residence at Biofriction (Cultivamos Cultura), The Dance Centre, Dance Victoria, Harbourfront Centre, The Shadbolt Centre, and The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, where she was also on faculty. Most recently Vanessa presented work and was a facilitator for Trinity Laban’s 2020 Co-Lab Project (London).