FREE-FALL
PREMIERE 2023, FOLKEMØDET, BORNHOLM, DENMARK
PERFORMANCE, 28MIN
ONE PERFORMER, SOUNDTRACK, COSTUME
COMMISSIONED BY NEW CARLSBERG FOUNDATION
TEXT, CHOREOGRAPHY, PERFORMANCE: MIRIAM KONGSTAD
MUSICAL COMPOSITION: JOSEFINE STRUCKMANN, MIRIAM KONGSTAD
COSTUME: STAMM.EXCHANGE
DOWNLOAD PERFORMANCE TEXT HERE
WATCH FULL VIDEO REGISTRATION OF FREE-FALL AS A DUET HERE
FREE-FALL is a slightly clumsy choreographic performance in decline. Via movement and text, the fall as a theme is analyzed and leads us through stories about clowns, walls, love, and the Bible. A fall can refer to a loss of control, anti-success, and falling for someone or something. Falling can be considered taboo, flawed, and devastating, but also an expression of courage and vigor.
LISTEN TO THE PERFORMANCE AS A PODCAST HERE:
Light is within her
she shall not fall
come suddenly to the ground
height, fail, decay
give in to sin or temptation
of darkness, nights, empires, values and governments
The one who falls is weak
The one who falls is ill
The one who falls is ageing
The one who falls is impaired
The one who falls is clumsy
The one who falls is drunk
Incompetent is the one who falls
but falling is a delicate action
falling is a delicate action
when falling we laugh - others laugh too
when falling we hurt or we injure
when falling we shame, with horror we rise
falling tastes like failure
*
the fall above falls
The birth of it all
simply called The Fall, in the Garden of Eden
I bit the apple
and God punished us all with shame
a fall is a rupture of standpoint
and so we were expelled
before the sin and after the sin
So it all took form
shame on me for falling into temptation
I am Adam and Eve
*
A fall is an expansion of time
The mind stretches between fiction and reality
We fall into loopholes
Stumble down the rabbit hole
Caught by imagination
like this little girl who fell and fell
and fell
and fell
and fell and fell
and fell
and fell
and fell
and fell
a magnificent journey beyond all
a key to another magical garden
like Eve, I couldn’t resist the temptation
I joyfully sing aloud
"I see what I eat… I eat what I see”
and am penalised with excessive appetite
expanding my body into uncontrollable sizes
massive as a giant, petite as a miniature doll
No risk, no fun
earth cracks open and gravity pulls me in
In free fall I smile and laugh:
It’s nouse going back to yesterday, back then I was a different person
I am Alice in Wonderland
*
No going back was abruptly concrete
When overnight I was split in two
halt and hindrance - prevention
shield and defense - protection
A curtain of iron dragged down
Now what belongs together will grow together
In 1989 I fell
a release against forces
I am the Berlin Wall
*
Societies rupture
Systems fall apart
freefalling - a loss of the known
Agreements fall through
people fall ill
they fall to the dark side too
we fall in love and fall asleep
We surrender
repeatedly I must surrender
A fall is the end of it all
I must give up the will to do
only then may I sleep
only then may I love
*
Late at night
on a balcony I appear
It is my lady, oh, it is my love
Arise, fair sun
and kill the envious moon
Who is sick and pale with grief
Driven by desire, I fake my own death
Intend the impossible
The (will) power of falling in love
a chemical addiction
unwisely and slow, we stumble
Thus with a kiss we die
a sleeping heart, broke another
love is dangerous too
I am Romeo and Juliet
*
On September the 8th
1985 in New York
I fell to my death from the 34th floor
A fall
not a jump
yet, they claimed it was so
Even though the face of my husband
Was covered in scratches
And my last word was heard to be: NO
last year alone
every hour of the day
at least 5 women fell victim to a killing
That’s more than 50.000 goodbyes (/falls)
I am Ana Mendieta
*
when you die they say
you fly into heaven
Pure and divine
the land of angels
but angels they fall too
Down is loss
Up is gain
A fall fights against control
A fallen angel indeed
has rebelled against god
and is exiled from heaven
The story goes that one-third of heaven’s angels
fell down and joined the devil’s rebellion
pride goes before a fall
the bigger they are, the harder they fall
how the mighty have fallen
That was what led to my downfall
I am Lucifer the fallen angel
*
When falling you move from one place to another
the world is turned upside down
a fall releases adrenaline
laughter stabilises with endorphins
a balancing act beyond your control
My role as a clown is to make you laugh
And through laughter to shift your perspective
I’m a fool by intention
With my tricks and my falls
I hope to amuse
And invite you to relish my suffering
In disguise I am in control
Out of my pocket
I pull a banana
The riper the better
The fall will hit harder
I throw and I stumble
tumble between thrill and despair
And I turn myself into an icon of comic release
I find joy in the face of loss and sorrow
I pull the truth from a nest of lies
I laugh at human foolishness
I tolerate a margin of mess
my smile is a highway between heaven and hell
I am Charlie Chaplin
VIDEO AND PHOTOS BY BALDUR FILM