“Theatre City” Budva/Bitef Theatre, Belgrade.

Noć skuplja vijeka (A Night More Precious than a Century)

Choreography: Igor Kirov

Composer: Irena Popović Dragović

Playwriting: Đorđe Kosić

Stage design: Vesna Popović

Costume design: Dragica Laušević

Video design: Sanjin Ćorović

Cast: Danilo Fatić, Olga Crnoseljanski, Dejan Bošković, Olga Olćan, Emanuele Frigo, Ivan Ćosić, Gala Pamučar, Aleksandar Polupanov, Sara Pamučar

Musicians: Ivan Mirković (accordion), Nikola Dragović (violin), Aleksandar Jovan Krstić(flute, saxophone, recorder)

 

In the words of the choreographer:

“Why the idea of dancing to the rhythm of Njegoš’s words?”- is the question I often get since I’ve announced I will be doing this play. My answer is simple: because Njegoš doesn’t represent mere words- but also  movements.

From the first time I’ve read the poem “Noć skuplja vijeka” (“A Night More Precious than a Century”), its lyrics were not just words on a piece of paper for me. I saw bodies flickering in the moonlight, hands spreading towards something insurmountable, touches that last longer than a split second. It wasn’t the issue of how strong the impact of the  words on  the reader was, though it wasn’t to be dismissed. It was the silence in between”. It was that space in which a man remains alone with his/her definitive fate. It is not without reason that the song’s space, the void, the night, the silence- became the perfect stage for expressing oneself in movement.  A poem tackling the issues concerning the clash between the earthly and the divine- a night more precious than a century is not literature- it’s a choreography written in words.

A play titled “Noć skuplja vijeka” (A Night More Precious than a Century) is a contemporary dancing dialog in which Njegoš’s presence can be felt. The dancers don’t just interpret the characters- they become feelings themselves: longing, passion, loneliness, eternity. I want the audience to feel that a moment in art- a movement, a breath of a passing second, one single lyric could be worth more than an entire year. The purpose of the project is to freeze the passing time even just for an hour- just like Njegoš did in his poem. Man is standing in front of the universe- naked, alone, mortal. It is not a state to be described, but one that could only be expressed in dancing through movement, breath and the weight of the body that falls but never  fails to rise time and time again. My choreography doesn’t follow a certain narrative structure. It follows a pulse- that internal rhythm bordering on the verge of fear and bravery, darkness and light, earth and sky. Each and every movement in this play represents a certain question and each silence an answer which struggles to but never gets answered.

Nine dancers, three musicians and twelve points in space that come together and fall apart continually. The dancers are not just characters but represent states: uneasiness, longing, realization and acceptance. Their bodies are not just bodies- they serve as maps of one’s entire inner world. When a hand reaches towards the other one but they never touch- it’s not in vain. It tells us the truth about the human loneliness in the universe.

Let this night be more precious than a century to you.