PART I 

HICCUP 

Choreography, costumes and lighting by Robert Bondara
 Assistant choreographer Evgeniia Meissner
 Music by Jack Nitzsche and Michał Jacaszek (pre-recorded)
 Premiere: 20 March 2015, at the Teatr Wielki in Warsaw (part of the Creations 7 programme, Polish National Ballet) 

Every choreography I create has its starting point, inspiration, trigger. For the Hiccup, it was something we could describe as superego, known from psychoanalysis theory. No matter what we call it, it's difficult to resist the impression that there is something hidden deep inside each one of us whispering constantly what is right and what is wrong. In a world of rules and patterns of behaviours, this feeling becomes involuntary, just like a hiccup. 

Robert Bondara 

8m68 

Concept, choreography, direction, sets, costumes and lighting by Robert Bondara
 Assistant choreographer Evgeniia Meissner
 Music by Amon Tobin (pre-recorded)
 Premiere: 11 May 2012, at the Teatr Wielki in Warsaw (part of the Creations 4 programme, Polish National Ballet) 

The essence of 8m68 is based on dancers’ relations. Attracting and repelling, controlling others, or being under someone’s control is becoming a driving force of the piece. Seemingly abstract choreography finds its inspiration in our everyday experiences and interpersonal relations translated into movement and shapes. Together with Amon Tobin's music it creates a landscape full of energy and emotions hidden under the snow... 

Robert Bondara  

PART II 

CACTI 

Choreography, sets and costumes by Alexander Ekman
 Assistant choreographer / Stager Ana Maria Lucaciu
 Music:
 improvisation for string quartet (performed live);
 Franz Schubert – String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D 810 (Death and the Maiden): IV Presto, arr. for orchestra by Andy Stein (performed from the recording);
Joseph Haydn – String Quartet No. 16 in A major, Op. 9 No. 6, Hob. III:4: IV Allegro; Sonate V (“Sitio”) in A major from Die sieben letzten Worte unseres Erlösers am Kreuze version for string quartet, Hob. XX/1:B (performed live);
Ludwig van Beethoven – excerpt from the String Quartet No. 9 in C minor, Op. 59 No. 3: II Andante con moto quasi allegretto (performed live) 

Lighting designer Tom Visser
 Text by Spenser Theberge 

Premiere: 25 February 2010 at the Lucent Danstheater, the Hague (The Netherlands) 

This work is about how we observe art and how we often feel the need to analyze and ‘understand’ art. Many of my friends have told me that they didn't really understand modern art and started to feel that perhaps it was not for them. I believe that there is no right way and that everyone can interpret art and experience it the way they want. Perhaps it’s just a feeling that you canʼt explain or perhaps it’s very obvious what the message is. 

Cacti discusses art criticism and it was created during a period of my life where I was very upset every time someone would write about my work. I did not find it fair that one person was going to sit there and sort of decide for everyone what the work was about. Now I have stopped reading my reviews, but still question this unfair system mankind has created. 

While creating Cacti, I had the chance to create a work with musicians in the studio, which was a new way of working for me. Together with a string quartet we created a rhythmical game between dancers and musicians which became the score for the work. Cacti demands a high concentration both from dancers and musicians, which makes it very exciting to observe. I have always been fascinated by human capability during highest concentration and our way of acting in a state of emergency. 

Cacti is definitely one of those works which I will always feel a certain love for. It is extremely hard to create a piece which feels complete and finished from beginning to end. I think with Cacti we somehow managed to arrange the pieces of the puzzle in a way that it actually felt sort of ‘finished’. 

Alexander Ekman