Peter Stamer &
Philipp Gehmacher
CoachingProject: On Time

On Time Dance takes place “in time”. “In time” you may imagine so that every movement is surrounded by a time cover carrying it invisibly through space. Choreography and dramaturgy create a special relation of bodies in time and space for the movement composition in performance. Simply said you may describe choreography as a production of space that is created by bodies moving towards and with each other. Dance dramaturgy puts its focus on the organization of time in which body and space are put into relation. The choreographic and dramaturgic production of space-time on stage meets then the perception of the audience. On the one side they are sharing the same life time with the performers in the moment of the performance, on the other side each audience member has his/her very own experiental time s/he cannot share. Thus in each dance performance different concepts and expectations of time meet yet communicating with each other between stage and audience space. The asthetic experience - meaning what is experienced as a specific accentuated moment of theater from whatever movements and gestures are presented on stage - only happens when the theatrical production and the subjective perception of time fall in unison. This relation gives the choreographer and the dancer the important task to consider their dramaturgic approach of time in their choreographic concepts and theatrical realizations. What are the dramaturgic considerations choreographers and dancers have for their projects and performances? How do they deal with time on the contemporary dance stage? Is time a vehicle to show bodies in movement or does time show by itself? When does long time become boring time? Where does amusement make time too short? Is there a right moment, a right rhythm, a right length for every specific choreographic movement and dance concept? This coaching project will examine practically and theoretically ways and concepts of time for dramaturgy and choreography. Each participant is supposed to bring in and present a movement phrase or theatrically framed sequence of 3 to 5 minutes during the week. Taking those as a starting point the group will search to match the choreographic issues with their perceptions and put them into the discourse. We will add texts, films, and dance performances of the festival to the research. Peter Stamer Already while studying dramatics from 1993 to 1998 Peter Stamer worked as a dance dramaturgue at the national theatre at Mannheim. From 1999 to 2002 he had a scholarship for his masters at the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. 1995 he went to Marseille as a scholarship holder of the German-French Cultural Board. Besides that he worked as a dance curator for the international Ursula-Blickle foundation. 2001 he came to the newly founded Tanzquartier Wien as a curator for theory. Since 2002 he has been working as a freelance dramaturgue, author and performer in the field of contemporary dance and performance. 2005 he presented his installation/video work „Lieblingsdiskurse“ at Tanzfabrik Berlin, an installation related to Philipp Gehmacher's choreografic project „incubator“ at the conference of Gesellschaft für Tanzforschung and the video trailer „Chinese Whispers“ at Tanzquartier Wien, produced with Daniel Aschwanden after their stay in Peking. At ImPulsTanz 2005 he realized the talking format „at home“ inviting Meg Stuart, Benôit Lachambre, Ismael Ivo, Jan Ritsema, and Paz Rojo. In summer 2006 he, together with Angela Glechner and Philipp Gehmacher, published the book „incubator“ related to the choreographic project with the same title in which he has cooperated with the choreographer from 2004 to 2006. During the international festival for contemporary art DIAF Beijing in May 2006 he and Daniel Aschwanden realized the four weeks-long city and discourse project „Head Room“. From these experiences and materials the instant radioplay „Chinese Whispers“ was created and presented at the stage of Tanzquartier Wien. In June 2006 Stamer was artist in residence together with Paz Rojo und Cristian Duarte at the choreographic centre PACT Zollverein Essen where the „Trio for two voices QUINTET“ was made. In August 2006 he performed in LISA („Multifunction Structures“) and Barbara Kraus' „Fuck all that shit!“ at ImPulsTanz. For the length of the dance congress of Germany in April 2006 in Berlin he curated the real time research lab „Sans Papiers“ inviting theoreticians and practicionners for talks. For the preparation of the same congress he was a freelance consultant of the federal cultural foundation of Germany. In November 2006 he guided the research lab „Laboratorium is the answer. But what is the question, still?“ at Tanzquartier Wien dealing with issues of knowledge production in contemporary dance. In October 2006 he was invited to the project „Writing Acts“ by the festival Steirischer Herbst. Until February 2007 he invited Viennese choreographers to the discourse performance series „Personale“ at dietheater Wien. For each meeting Peter Stamer published a talk-portrait at the internet magazine „corpus“. Upon an invitation of Goethe Institute he is currently preparing a work stay at the Living Dance Studio in Peking. In June 2007 Stamer, Aschwanden and Stotz will present the instant radioplay „Chinese Whispers“ at WUK followed by a radio feature for the ORF based on the radioplay. Additionally he is giving lectures in Germany and abroad and is publishing texts in dance magazines, program folders and spezialized litterature. Philipp Gehmacher After his dance studies at the London Contemporary Dance School and the Laban Centre London he choreographed different works, „in the absence“, „Holes and Bodies“, „embroyder“ ao. For the opening of Tanzquartier Wien he created the duo „good enough“ that - after a period of international touring - was reworked with the choreographer Raimund Hoghe in 2004 and last shown at Österreich Tanzt 06. With „mountains are mountains“ he presented his first full evening group work in 2003. In summer 2003 he returned to Vienna after a ten years' stay in London. During the season 2004/05 he realised the project „incubator“, which was created during four residences in Vienna, Berlin, Brussels and Lyon. The coproducing partners Tanzquartier Wien, Hebbel am Ufer Berlin, Kaaitheater Brüssel and Les Subsistances Lyon were each presented a unique piece and version. In Spring 2006 the solo „das überkreuzen beyder hände“ with the pianist Alexander Lonquich, initiated by Mozarteum Salzburg, Szene Salzburg and ImPulsTanz Wien, was premiered at the Dialoge Festival at the Mozarteum Salzburg. Upon an invitation of Montpellier Danse Festival 06 Philipp Gehmacher created in the frame of Le Vif du Sujet the solo „between now and then“ for the French dancer Frédéric Schranckenmüller. 2007 saw the realisation of the trio „like there’s no tomorrow“ with the support of Tanzquartier Wien, Pact-Zollverein Essen, Kaaitheater Brussels, Centre National de la Danse Pantin and Montpellier Danse 07. He is currently working on a duet together with the American choreographer Meg Stuart called „maybe forever“, which will be premiered early June 2007 at Kaaitheater Brussels. His works are shown at diverse European festivals and theatres. He got the New Choreographers Award 1997, the Bonnie Bird New Choreography Award 2000, and the Jerwood Choreography Award 2002. He was Artist in Residence at dietheater Wien in 2002 and at Tanzquartier Wien during the seasons 2002/04. 2006 the book „incubator“, edited by Philipp Gehmacher, Angela Glechner and Peter Stamer was published and launched by Passagen Verlag Wien.