A delirium called 'Festen'

This autumn, the Sala Fénix has programmed, with the collaboration of Casa Asia, a butoh cycle made up of three theatrical shows: The Swan Hymn, from 21 to 25 September; Icon in construction, from 28 September to 2 October and Festen, from 5 to 9 October.

Butoh is a highly contemporary and relevant dance form that is attracting more and more interest in the performing and visual arts fields for its potential to break taboos and explore transgressive territories based on the bodily experimentation of each individual.

Like all the arts, its purpose is to contribute to a more conscious and harmonious life with the universe and other beings, but without looking away from the dark side of oneself because "without it, there cannot be light". That is why butoh is an invitation to dance in the heart of existence itself, to savour, celebrate, enjoy and share it with all the senses.

Festen is a free piece devised and performed by choreographer Cecilia Gala and creator and trainer Nataliya Andru that moves away from convention. As its protagonists, experts in butoh and physical theatre, say, "it is a celebration of love for the art that unites us, a tribute to the first dancers who covered their bodies in ash to borrow power from power". It is also a party, or a "delirium", under the inspiration of the expressionist dancer Mary Wigman (1886 – 1973). "And in this celebration," said the two performers, "we will eat our hearts out. We will access the world beneath the waves of the unconscious, we will abandon ourselves to the desire to soak up the forces that hardly dare to manifest themselves beneath our civilised appearance" with the aim of revealing the secret of what we really are.

Tickets to see Festen are 18 euros and can be purchased in advance at this link.