In Journey Home, Les SlovaKs develop scenes of different atmospheres around each five as lead characters; the folk dancer, the tough rock guy, two inseparable brothers or"crystal silence" dancer. In subtleties between such Eastern European traditions and Western cultural references, they continue to create a playing field on stage where dancing reigns free and a special kind of physical theatricality can emerge. Emotions, imagination, shared history and humor all take part in the amalgam of short dance vignettes.
Composer Simon Thierre acts as a careful tailor and instantly knits his colorful music to dance scene. They also sing! From the center of Slovakia,powerful and sensitive male voices sing about love and nature in folk polyphonic harmonies.
Journey Home is a voyage further into Les SlovaKs universe. This creation, premiered in November 2009 in Brussels, Les Slovaks continue working as a collective, developing the common skill of composing while performing.
Regarding each member as an irreplaceable as set to the whole, Les SlovaKs create a polyphonic dance that brings each dancer to the fore as a soloist and an instrumental part of a dynamic and familial collective.
The characteristics featured in Journey Home are the use of Slovak folk dance, traditional polyphonic singing and playing with "Slovak sensitivity" and humor while performing.
By making the basic principles of the individual and the group a dynamic part of their compositional system, Les SlovaKs’ work becomes utterly transparent and the audience is invited to witness the humor in disagreement, the momentum of consensus, and the rigor of personal investment which constitutes the trial and error of creating a performance together.
The music is a vital part of their world on stage. It is a place where thereferences that hover in the dance are folded into a robust score that meets the dance from another perspective.
In Journey Home Les SlovaKs continue their rich collaboration with musician and composer Simon Thierrée.
CHOREOGRAPHY AND DANCE BY: Les SlovaKs Dance Collective: Martin Kilvady, Peter Jasko, Anton Lachky, Milan Herich, Milan Tomášik
COMPOSITION AND LIVE MUSIC: Simon Thierrée
SET DESIGN:Les SlovaKs DanceCollective, Joris De Bolle
LIGHTING DESIGN Joris De Bolle
COSTUME DESIGN: Mat Voorter, PepaMartinez
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Joris De Bolle
PRODUCTION PHILEAS PRODUCTIONS COPRODUCTION: Kaaitheater(Belgium), Charleroi/Danses (Belgium),Teatre Mercat de les Flors(Spain),Hellerau - European Center for the Arts Dresden (Germany)
PARTNERS:DCJ — Dans Centrum Jette(Belgium)