Hunting Season (2014)

The Hunting Season, or, Who is Catching Whom

Inhale-exhale-freeze-action-reaction are the connective tissues of the performance The Hunting Season. Seemingly meditative signatures appear throughout the performance in various scenes with escalation, thickening and, above all, release of tension. Each hunting action demands concentration, attention, self-nullification, blending into the environment and listening to internal (bodily) and external impulses. All it takes to quickly release the tension, which triggers a swift act of catching. Thus, the principle of hunting is being internalized, outwards it serves the »clashing« among the dancers. That by all means gives an insight into the body structure, one’s perception of oneself, others and the group. It leads to a story that exceeds the psychology of an individual, of hunting, and of a group. It is not merely a story about (inter)relationships, about the catch if you like. It is the story about the world and mankind. It is a process showing us images of our insanity, egoism, vulnerability, moments of beauty. Here the performance with individual scenes relaxes and concentrates, it concretizes itself. Welcome home, in the world of tension, relaxation, catch and (non)sense. Also of humour, irony, competition and heartbreaking duets, solos. C’est la vie.

JJF

Milan Tomášik & Co

Concept, choreography: Milan Tomášik
Performance, Co-creation: Jan Rozman, Alessandro Sollima, Milan Tomášik, Tina Valentan, Špela Vodeb, Aja Zupanec
Music: Vladimír Godár
Lighting design: Luka Curk
Costumes: Jasna Vastl
Outside eye: Suzana Koncut
Production: MT, KUD Cortesia
Postproduction: Frédéric Cornet, cornet.fred@gmail.com
Public relation: Jedrt Jež Furlan
Technical director: Luka Curk, lukacurk@gmail.com
Co-production: EN-KNAP (Slovenia), Ljubljana dance theater (Slovenia), NorrlandsOperans (Sweeden), Stanica Žilina-Záriečie (Slovakia)
Partner: Mediterranean dance centre Svetvinčenat (San Vincenti, Croatia), The Old Power Station (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Španski borci cultural centre (Slovenia)

ZSUZSANNA KOMJÁTHY, dancescript.blogspot.hu, 27. 7.2015

'it is a clever, well-matured and complex choreography, which has the rare and valuable quality to feed every layer of the spectator’s curiosity. From chunky jokes to delicate historical and technical dance references, it invokes several relations simultaneously through the movements, while in the cross-fire of registers and references it is able to remain absolutely ‘meaningless’ and facile.”

MARTIN MACHÁČEK, tanečnizona.cz, June 2015,

“Hunting is very close to dance. It is dynamic, and its decisive moments can take your breath away. Milan Tomášik’s performance Hunting Season does exactly that. The Slovak choreographer, based in Slovenia, prepared a breathtaking creation together with an internationally cast group, in which the audience, just like on safari, witnesses the grand hunt. “

JANA NAVRÁTOVÁ, tanečnizona.cz, June 2015,

“Tomášik is an intuitive mathematician and can interweave all components of stage work into a solid structure – like a tapestry in the hunting lounge – so that situations naturally emerge, relational structures, comic crashes and small well-managed interactions with the audience.”

LUCIE KOCOURKOVÁ, operaplus.cz, 21. 5. 2015,

“And the choreography neither competes with the music, nor copies it. The dancers are relating to the music with dignity, in dialogue with sound and dialogue with silence. While the connection with musical artwork and its understanding is something often lacking in contemporary dance choreographies, it is a pleasure when someone is able to achieve harmony. “

JOHANA MUCKOVÁ, českatelevize.cz, 20. 5.2015,

“This production does not need a spectacular means to achieve an impressive message. Richly imaginative, contrasting structures, movement passages throughout, which never lose their pleasant pace, and the striking power of the dancers, which in the intimate space, easily carries into the auditorium. “