Strahovi (Ghosts)
Solo “Ghost of My Life” je nastal poleti leta 1986 in takrat je na tekmovanju New Dance Competition v Budimpešti Matjaž Farič zanj prejel nagrado. To je bila njegova prva nagrado, ki jo je prejel v tujini. Leta 1987 je Matjaž med izpopolnjevanjem na dresdenski Palucca Schule ta solo prenesel na telo plesalca Maria Henimanna, ga preimenoval v “Geister meines Lebens” in v Dessau na X. baletnem tekmovanju Nemške demokratične republike prejel nagrado za koreografijo.
Po povratku v Slovenijo je ta solo dobil naslov Strahovi in bil leta 1987 vključen v celovečerno avtorsko predstavo Sanje Maria H, ki je bila izvedena v Klubu mladih, v današnjih prostorih Mladinskega informativnega in kulturnega kluba v Murski Soboti. Matjaž Farič je to predstavo odplesal samo enkrat. Nekaj dni za tem je sledila huda poškodba in zdelo se je, da je Matjaževa plesna pot zaključena. Po okrevanju je bil solo Strahovi leta 1988 vključen v predstavo 6. april skupine Vzhodni plesni projekt. Premiera je bila v Španskih borcih 4. aprila, ker je termin 6. aprila bil že zaseden s koncertom Acija Bertonclja.
Solo Strahovi je povezan s pomembnimi prelomnicami na poklicni poti plesalca in koreografa Matjaž Fariča - začetek, odhod, vrnitev, prekinitev in ponovni začetek.
Rekonstrukcija: čas in telo
Pri rekonstrukciji plesnega sola Strahovi ne gre zgolj za ponavljanje. V 40 letih se je v avtorjevem telesu zapisal čas, v katerem smo bili priča izjemnemu tehnološkemu napredku in tektonskim političnim premikom.
Izhodišča pa so enaka kot pred 40 leti. Če je takrat dobršen del sveta ločevala železna zavesa, so danes, po desetletjih vere v politično in gospodarsko povezovanje, spet v ospredju razhajanja in nove delitve v svetovnem redu. Vojna in grožnja spopada svetovnih razsežnosti sta spet vse bolj prisotni.
Poleg tehnološkega napredka, ki se “vsiljuje” tudi v telo, pa so podobnosti tudi v prekarnosti ustvarjalca. Če je bil pred 40 leti uokvirjen predvsem z ideološkimi kulturno-političnimi omejitvami - pravovernost, pa je danes to predvsem ekonomski kulturno-politični okvir - storilnost, koristnost.
Transformacija strahu
Omenjena izhodišča in okvirji so generator današnjih strahov. Izhodišče koreografije, izhajajoče iz osebnih strahov izpred štiridesetih let, bo v procesu ustvarjanja danes soočeno z vprašanjem, kako se ti strahovi levijo iz ene oblike v drugo? Kako se kopičijo in pogrezajo v ranljivo telo? Kako se gigantski globalni mehanizmi zrcalijo v mehkem tkivu in kako se zagate brazgotinijo ter kopičijo pod kožo? Strahovi izpred štiridesetih let postanejo Duhovi ( Ghosts ).
Dialog dveh obdobij
Matjažev ples je v mladosti zaznamovalo ukvarjanje z vzhodnjaškimi borilnimi veščinami, kot sta karate in tai-chi, izrazni in sodobni ples, pa tudi gimnastika in izobraževanje v baletnih tehnikah. Te izkušnje zaznamujejo osnove njegovega gibalnega vokabularja in značilnega pristopa k improvizaciji. Ples Jeong Bin Seo je “atletski”, njen osebni slog zrcali sodobne baletne prakse, sodobni ples in tradicionalno gibalno dediščino okolja, v katerem je odraščala. Sloga obeh ustvarjalcev sta nastajala na oddaljenosti več desetletij in tisočev kilometrov - distanco, ki omogoča dovolj razlik za ustvarjalni izziv za reiinterpretacijo in razširitev sola Strahovi. Po plesni senzibilnosti pa sta si oba ustvarjalca tako zelo podobna, kot da bi sodelovala že dolgo časa. Z reinterpretacijo sola Strahovi bo zavod Flota obeležil pomembno obletnico poklicnega delovanja koreografa in plesalca Matjaža Fariča.
Ghosts (Strahovi)
The solo "Ghost of My Life" was created in the summer of 1986. That same year, Matjaž Farič received an award for the piece at the New Dance Competition in Budapest, marking his first international accolade. In 1987, whilst further developing his craft at the Palucca Schule in Dresden, Matjaž transferred the solo onto the body of dancer Mario Henimann, renamed it "Geister meines Lebens", and won the choreography prize at the 10th Ballet Competition of the German Democratic Republic in Dessau.
Upon his return to Slovenia, the solo was titled "Fears" (Strahovi) and was included in the 1987 full-length original production The Dreams of Maria H. This was performed at the Youth Club, located in what is now the MIKK, Murska Sobota - Youth Information and Cultural Centre. Matjaž Farič performed this production only once; a few days later, he suffered a severe injury that seemed to signal the end of his dancing career. Following his recovery in 1988, the solo Fears was integrated into the production April 6th by the Vzhodni plesni projekt (Eastern Dance Project) group. The premiere took place at Španski Borci on 4 April, as the 6 April slot was already booked for a concert by Aci Bertoncelj.
The solo Fears is intertwined with significant turning points in Matjaž Farič’s professional path as a dancer and choreographer—beginnings, departures, returns, interruptions, and new starts.
The Reconstruction: Time and the Body
The reconstruction of the solo Fears is not merely an act of repetition. Over the past 40 years, time has etched itself into the author’s body—a period during which we have witnessed extraordinary technological progress and tectonic political shifts.
Yet, the points of departure remain the same as they were four decades ago. If a large part of the world was then divided by the Iron Curtain, today—after decades of faith in political and economic progress—divergences and new divisions in the global order have returned to the forefront. The spectre of war and the threat of global conflict are once again increasingly present.
Alongside technological advancement, which "intrudes" upon the body, there are parallels in the precariousness of the creator. Whereas 40 years ago, the artist was framed primarily by ideological, socio-political constraints—orthodoxy—today, the framework is predominantly economic: productivity and usefulness.
The Transformation of Fear
These foundations and frameworks are the generators of contemporary anxieties. The starting point of the choreography, rooted in personal fears from forty years ago, will be confronted in today’s creative process with a central question: how do these fears moult from one form into another? How do they accumulate and sink into the vulnerable body? How are gargantuan global mechanisms mirrored in soft tissue, and how do these dilemmas scar and build up beneath the skin? Fears from forty years ago are resurfacing as Ghosts
A Dialogue Between Eras
In his youth, Matjaž’s dance was shaped by Eastern martial arts such as Karate and Tai-chi, expressionist and contemporary dance, as well as gymnastics and formal ballet training. These experiences define the foundations of his movement vocabulary and his signature approach to improvisation.
Similarly, Jeong Bin Seo’s dance is "athletic"; her personal style reflects contemporary ballet practices, modern dance, and the traditional movement heritage of her upbringing. The styles of these two creators were formed decades and thousands of miles apart—a distance that provides enough difference to offer a creative challenge for the reinterpretation and expansion of Ghots. Yet, in their dance sensibility, the two artists are so alike it is as if they have been collaborating for years.
With this reinterpretation of the solo Fears, the Flota Institute marks a significant anniversary in the professional career of choreographer and dancer Matjaž Farič.