a choreographer spars with expectations by by gia kourlas nyt

A Choreographer Spars With Expectations By GIA KOURLAS Published: March 9, 2009 The Serbian choreographer Sasa Asentic is caught between two worlds in his astut e and often funny lecture-performance piece “My private bio-politics.” In this criti cal look at the Serbian dance scene, presented over the weekend at Dance Theater Workshop, Mr. Asentic also explores larger issues in the world of contemporary dance. His observations, through text and movement, delve into questions of mark etability and what constitutes authentic Eastern European dance. Mr. Asentic views the production, created with the artistic assistance of Oliver a Kovacevic Crnjanski and dramaturgy by Ana Vujanovic, as an open-ended research project. Once a work in progress, it is now a “work in regress,” he said from the s tage. In its second year of touring Mr. Asentic deconstructed it, showing less a nd less, until — at a 2008 show in Belgrade — he “performed it without any performance ,” he said. “The audience,” he added, “watched only a video.” At Dance Theater Workshop one section of the stage resembled a boxing ring, deli neated by string and featuring a religious icon with a whistle wrapped around it s neck. Within this landscape, which hinted at the trappings of stereotypical da nce from the Eastern Europe, Mr. Asentic undressed and sparred like a boxer. Sli ghtly breathless, he began a monologue, both earnest and deadpan, about how he h ad discovered dance. In using such a autobiographical approach Mr. Asentic makes reference to the con versational style of the French conceptualist and choreographer Jérôme Bel. The laye rs of “My private bio-politics” run deep, and Mr. Asentic focuses on the tendency of some Eastern European choreographers to copy Western European dance paradigms t o gain acceptance and coveted invitations to prominent festivals. The talking built to a hilarious dance sequence in which Mr. Asentic confronted superficial expectations about Eastern European dance. (It covered references to folklore, exoticism and politics but was not limited to them.) Finally facing the audience again Mr. Asentic quoted the philosopher and critic Boris Groys: “The only difference between Western and Eastern European art is that Eastern art always comes from the East.” There are many levels to “My private bio-p olitics” — a good thing — yet its message is simple: Always break the rules.

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A Choreographer Spars With Expectations

By GIA KOURLASPublished: March 9, 2009The Serbian choreographer Sasa Asentic is caught between two worlds in his astute and often funny lecture-performance piece “My private bio-politics.” In this critical look at the Serbian dance scene, presented over the weekend at Dance Theater

Workshop, Mr. Asentic also explores larger issues in the world of contemporarydance. His observations, through text and movement, delve into questions of marketability and what constitutes authentic Eastern European dance.

Mr. Asentic views the production, created with the artistic assistance of Olivera Kovacevic Crnjanski and dramaturgy by Ana Vujanovic, as an open-ended researchproject. Once a work in progress, it is now a “work in regress,” he said from the stage. In its second year of touring Mr. Asentic deconstructed it, showing less and less, until — at a 2008 show in Belgrade — he “performed it without any performance,” he said.

“The audience,” he added, “watched only a video.”

At Dance Theater Workshop one section of the stage resembled a boxing ring, delineated by string and featuring a religious icon with a whistle wrapped around its neck. Within this landscape, which hinted at the trappings of stereotypical dance from the Eastern Europe, Mr. Asentic undressed and sparred like a boxer. Slightly breathless, he began a monologue, both earnest and deadpan, about how he had discovered dance.

In using such a autobiographical approach Mr. Asentic makes reference to the conversational style of the French conceptualist and choreographer Jérôme Bel. The layers of “My private bio-politics” run deep, and Mr. Asentic focuses on the tendency ofsome Eastern European choreographers to copy Western European dance paradigms to gain acceptance and coveted invitations to prominent festivals.

The talking built to a hilarious dance sequence in which Mr. Asentic confrontedsuperficial expectations about Eastern European dance. (It covered references tofolklore, exoticism and politics but was not limited to them.)

Finally facing the audience again Mr. Asentic quoted the philosopher and criticBoris Groys: “The only difference between Western and Eastern European art is thatEastern art always comes from the East.” There are many levels to “My private bio-politics” — a good thing — yet its message is simple: Always break the rules.