Ghosts of Matjaž Farič – 40 years / En

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 Ghosts. 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.

bio

Matjaž Farič is a choreographer, director, dancer and artistic director of Flota Institute. One of the leading figures of Slovenian contemporary dance since the 1980s, he has created numerous original dance and theatre productions while collaborating with dance companies, theatres and opera houses in Slovenia and abroad. His international collaborations include Studio for Contemporary Dance Zagreb, Diversions Dance Company (Cardiff) and Compagnie Coline (France), alongside extensive work with major Slovenian theatres. He is the recipient of numerous national and international awards, including the Prešeren Fund Award, the Župančič Award, the Golden Bird Award, the Borštnik Festival Award, and the Grand Prize at the International Biennial Competition of Choreographers in Seine-Saint-Denis, France.

credits

Choreoghraphy and direction Matjaž Farič

Dance Jeong Bin Seo

Dramaturgy Katja Markič

Light design Igor Remeta

Music Martin Bedárd, Basiani, Art of Noise

Photo Darja Štravs Tisu

Production Flota Institute

Coproduction En–Knap Productions, Korea Dance Abroad

En–Knap Productions

Founder and artistic director Iztok Kovač

Managing director Marjeta Lavrič

Executive director and head of finance Julija Travančič

Executive producer Nataša Ramovš

En–Knap Group artistic director Mattia Cason

En–Knap Group rehearsals director Ana Štefanec Knez

Communication and creation executive Valerija Intihar

Design Marko Damiš

Event coordinator and organiser Katja Gabrijelčič

Technical support Omar Ismail, Hotimir Knific, Gal Škrjanec Skaberne, Maja Pahor, Aljaž Zaletel, Fabijan Purg