Excuse me for an extremely plain depiction of the complicated theory of Agoraphobia. The subject is definitely worth a deeper contemplation. Maybe I’ll come back to it soon at some of our workshops.

From a very young age a human requires some physical limit of the world.

Something that reminds us of the prenatal closeness. Such space can be a cave, a tree hollow, a city appartment, a sleeping bag… even a canvas tent would be placed next to a tree if possible, not because of the rain or wind. It just seems to give some kind of protection.

Skipping all eight volumes of a detailed commentary on the subject I’d rather leap right to the conclusion: everyone is affected by Agoraphobia, at least with its minimal symptoms. And this is what DEREVO is quite interested for.

In case of the Terschelling island, measuring 20 by 4 km, there’s an opportunity to try out something what hardly fits the indoor training.

For instance that can be practices connected with an extended influence range of dancers on their audience, as well as some techniques of „wide-shot-like focusing of eyes“ or dynamically adjusting the dance according to the distance to a partner or an instant transition to the dance action in front of the audience and many more.

It is stated in DEREVO’s Manifest „the sky begins right from the ground“, well it’s easier said…

Once on a summer day at the Elbe, as merry and damp as I was, I shouted to Slava Guyvoronsky „Why don’t you bath?“. „I wasn’t invited“ he replied.

Text: Anton Adasinsky
Photo by DEREVO

DEREVO has brilliantly performed MEPHISTO WALTZ last year at the OEROL.

But I was somehow uneasy. Not quite settled. Not entirely.

This is the island of DEREVO.

Every blade of grass knows us here.

But the guys didn’t go through that all yet.

They’ve got it delivered directly, the audience, the success.

MEPHISTO WALTZ is a show. Precise and ready-made body.

So now, one year later, they have to attend some other classes: the Street and the Body.

Just as we were doing it then.

In the sunlight and with no music playing back. Same costumes, same asphalt, same wind and a sand…

It just must be.

The steps of a big staircase should not be skipped.

This is a way of learning. I think about it rather often lately.

Anton

The News!

The Noah’s Ark project is ready!

One and a half months of work: St Petersburg, Moscow, Potsdam, Dresden, Leipzig.

I heartily congratulate our students Nastya Ponomareva, Pavel Alekhin (aka Gleb Sinichkin), Makhina Dzhuraeva. This is the first show entirely created by themselves.

And Alexey Lanskoy evolved no less than into DEREVO’s technical manager.

And Nastya could also be seen in HARLEKIN in the main part of Pieretta and The Devoted Monkey at the Golden Mask Festival. Really not bad for just two years working with DEREVO…

About Oleg Zhukovsky you could read in the previous news. And if you could see Lena just now…..

Well, and now to the performances coming up.

In Poland – Nastya Ponomareva with her solo project Lunis.

Our dearest OEROL Festival on Terschelling island comes next. DEREVO School On Wheels will be improvising throughout ten days on an entire island day and night.

And then the wonderful festival and funfair Schaubudensommer in Dresden, with its tents and barkers… just like it was centuries ago.

And Edinburgh Fringe with MEPHISTO WALTZ. Apparently we can’t live without that adrenaline rush. Anna Bogodist has prepared a large scale invasion of Scotland with the „Russians in Roxy“ Programme.

So, that’s it. I don’t think I’ve ever wrote such a dry and plotless piece of news. Maybe I should attach a passport photo to it and the vase at the window with the half of a tomcat.

Anton.

Text: Anton Adasinsky
English text editor: Daniel Williams
Photo: Natalya Krymskaya, Roman Ekimov, Alexey Kostromin

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Photo: Anton Adasinsky
Editing: Elena Yarovaya
Music: Daniel Williams
Dancers: Elena Yarovaya, Nastya Ponomareva, Nadya Mozheiko, Alexey Lanskoy, Gleb Alekhin and others
Costumes: Anna Frumson

Back in 1989 DEREVO was performing at OEROL for the very first time!

Aaaaah! Is it really so long ago???

22 years ago this Island made a new hardly noticeable companion to world re-knowned DEREVO theatre company.

Right there in the dunes, under the sky, on the endless sands, in the roaring wind and surf, there the unique principles of DEREVO’s dance have been elaborated. And they mean the mastering of huge spaces, laconic moves, purity of senses, precision in colours of the costumes and props, live music of nature…

Our improvisations here could be just four hours long, as well as nine days and nights without break, like in the „Adventures of the Golden Egg“.

And now at the thirtieth (!) anniversary OEROL Festival, on top of the hill, in an endless wind, blowing all the waste out of your mind and body, here DEREVO performs Mephisto Waltz.

No photograph could possibly convey the power of this place…
But still… here are some photo-visions…

Text: Anton Adasinsky
English text editor: Daniel Williams
Photos: Anna Bogodist, Elena Yarovaya
Photo design: Elena Yarovaya

See also one of the first online photo projects at DEREVO.org dedicated to the Island of Terschelling - Wind & Water »

The photographs from the Wind & Water are also available as a printed album DEREVO vol. 1 here »