In the past two years in particular, it has often not been easy to find or keep your inner peace, your own center. The play of the same name by Ashley Lobo at the Linz Musiktheater (Blackbox) is an invitation to trace the inner “Buddha” in us, beyond all religiosity. As early as 2019, the Indian-Australian choreographer and the Linz dance ensemble traced the Indian god of death in “Yama” and taught the dancers his prana-paint technique based on breath and yoga. This time, too, he draws the viewers into a maelstrom that unfolds his very special energy.
“We are not Buddha, but we carry him within us. It’s about finding him in us,” says Lobo about his piece, for which a special moment inspired him: when Siddhartha, meditating under a tree, becomes enlightened to become the Buddha, the demon king Mara sends his three daughters to disturb him. The struggle for inner peace and unity unfolds in a series of hauntingly danced images, to which Aaron Breeze has created a subtle sound design: an expanding gong, ritual drum rhythms, floating sounds. Often only the breath and the rhythm of the steps let the silence ring. The black box allows viewers to be very close to the dancers and experience their impressive body art up close. Stretched legs are lifted towards the ceiling in slow motion, seemingly effortless poses alternate with a smooth, soft flow of movement. Once full of concentrated energy in the group, then again in an intimate solo or pas-de-deux. There doesn’t seem to be anything that can’t be done. Set designer Aleksander Kaplun dressed the dancers in sparsely skin-colored and white costumes, and many things can be conveyed in wire structures – human entanglements, an inner cage? – see. Those who let themselves be drawn into these 70 minutes won’t regret it. Longest applause, which was followed by a lively follow-up discussion with choreographer Lobo, dramaturge Roma Janus and the dancers.
Source: Nachrichten
