"Public Property"

Who owns the stage, who the figure on stage, who rules the body? Does the dancer belong to the audience, the state, the foundation, the company funding the project? Is she her own or is she public property? "Public Property" is a fascinating tour de force, and for Simone Aughterlony, for many years dancer with Meg Stuart’s Damaged Goods, it provides direct access to the lion’s cage. With stoic equanimity she negotiates her way through the dos and don’ts of public space and does not even stop short of incorporating a management training lesson about the proper length of public speeches. Her body might be gradually disappearing from stage, yet her expressiveness renders her all the more present

Text: Marty Huber