Iztok Kovač, Sašo Podgoršek

Narava Beso

19 min

#en–knap dance films

1995

A recurring point of reference in Iztok Kovač’s work is his hometown of Trbovlje—a mining town that has also become a Slovenian symbol of the grey, polluted and abandoned landscape of socialist heavy industry. His returns to Trbovlje should not be understood merely as acts of nostalgia or personal sentimentality, but rather as returns to the source of his own physical and artistic constitution. It was here, among the bodies of workers and miners, within the alternating rhythms of labour and rest, and in an environment that constantly exposed the irreconcilable tension between civilisation and nature, that his sensibility was formed.

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Narava Beso reveals, on the one hand, Kovač’s personal relationship to the physical reality of his hometown and, on the other, a broader understanding of the contemporary world, transformed into a poetic structure rich with wider associations. The film unfolds across seven different locations. What these places share is that, at some point in the past—during someone’s childhood, someone’s youth, in a different social climate and a different stage of history—they were sites of intense physical labour. Suddenly, these spaces, once defined by activity but abandoned through the course of historical change, are occupied by a group of dancers. Yet, surprisingly, they do not move. Instead, they listen to distant sounds and rhythms. And when they finally begin to move, they do so carefully and attentively, as if following the complex currents of energy still embedded within the ground.

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bio

Iztok Kovač is a choreographer and founder of En–Knap. Following the international success of his solo How I Caught a Falcon (1991), he became one of the key figures in the development of Slovenian contemporary dance. He founded En–Knap Group, Slovenia's first permanent contemporary dance ensemble, and serves as artistic director of both En–Knap and the Španski borci Cultural Centre. His works have toured internationally for more than three decades. Additionally, his artistic practice includes six dance films, international pedagogical work, guest choreography and the direction of major national events in Slovenia. During the Covid period, he initiated Stage360, developing dance works in virtual reality.

Sašo Podgoršek is a Slovenian film director and visual artist whose work spans music videos, documentaries, dance films, commercials and feature films. After graduating from the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television in Ljubljana, he gained international recognition with his award-winning short film But the Goat Survived (1991), which was screened at festivals worldwide. A long-time collaborator of artists and collectives including Laibach, Marko Peljhan and Iztok Kovač, Podgoršek has developed a distinctive visual language that moves fluidly between film, music and performance. He has directed more than fifty music videos for some of the most prominent artists in the region, while his films and video works have received numerous national and international awards. His work is characterised by a strong visual sensibility, a focus on atmosphere and movement, and an ongoing dialogue with contemporary performing arts.

credits

Concept Iztok Kovač, Sašo Podgoršek

Choreography Iztok Kovač

Director Sašo Podgoršek

Created and performed by Michael Ruegg, Jordi Cortes Molina, Mala Kline, Maja Delak, Jordi Casanovas Sempere, Ana Stegnar, Iztok Kovač, Aleš Hadalin

Original music and sound design Thierry De Mey

Director of photography Sven Pepeonik

Film editing Vesna Nikolovska Krzicnik

Director of the black-and-white sequence Thierry De Mey

Editing and sound editing of the black-and-white sequence Rudi Maerten

Costume design Uroš Belantič

Set design Kovač–Podgoršek

Executive producer Valter Kobal

Editor-in-chief of TV arts programmes Jaroslav Skrusny

Special guest appearance Delavska Godba Trbovlje

Conductor Alojz Zupan

Special guest appearance Ženski pevski zbor Društva upokojencev Trbovlje

Choirmaster Nanda Guček

Special guest appearance Ballet Department of the Trbovlje Music School

Mentor Rosana Mesojedec

Additional music used En–Knap Open ’96

Music session Od tukaj do zdaj — Bratko Bibič, Chanson de matin — Edward Elgar (arr. Johan de Meij), Pesem rudarskih otrok — Emil Adamič, Vlado Klemenčič, En–Knap Open ’96

Arrangements Krunoslav Levačić

Composition and audio production Studio Ritem, Hanna Preuss, Borut Berden

Session musicians Krunoslav Levačić, Žiga Golob, Bratko Bibič, Aleš Hadalin, Christopher Benstead, Andrej Guček, Mark Tompkins, Gyork Szakonyi, Laszlo Rokas, Ivo Rimc, Primož Oberžan, Boštjan Gradišek, Mitja Softič

Assistant director Andreja Rauch

Consultation Charo Calvo

Steadicam operator Aleš Belak

Aerial camera operator Marko Kostanjšek

Camera operators Simon Pintar, Aleš Belak, Sven Pepeonik, Sašo Podgoršek

Camera assistants Marko Kočevar, Andrej Heferle, Matjaž Koželj

Gaffer Sveto Makič

Lighting technicians Dejan Krulej, Veljko Kočič, Aleš Korenin

Sound recordist Branko Atanaskovič

Boom operator Miran Komatar

Script supervisor Tanja Likeb

Set assistant Kristjan Klavčič

Security Vili Guček, Borut Kavzer

Make-up Irena Mrhar, Nika Veger

Tailor Ivi Grabnar

Still photographers Žiga Koritnik, Nejc Saje

Production coordination Marko Poeschl

Location manager Janez Kovač

Technical support VIBA FILM

Graphic design J.E.S.U.S. AJAKS, Rasto Novakovič

Film technology engineer Bojan Boštjančič

16 mm film laboratory TV Slovenija, Ljubljana

35 mm film laboratory Meuter Titra, Brussels

Colour correction Roger Vervoenen

Sound mixing studio Alea Jacta Post-Production, Brussels

Sound mix Franco Piscopo

Post-production manager Rudi Maerten – Toumouv Brussels

Special thanks to Občina Trbovlje, Rudarski dom Na Planini, Cementarna Trbovlje, Društvo Svoboda Trbovlje, Avtohiša Malgaj, Delavski dom Trbovlje, Radio Trbovlje, AMD Trbovlje, Računalniška trgovina Info Trbovlje, Galerija Kapelica, Kopališče Trbovlje, Arkadena, Arsmedia, Boris Vanderavoord, Nataša Kos, Eda Čufer, Andrej Želježič

Production En–Knap Productions

Co-production RTV Slovenija

Supported by: Slovenian Film Fund, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, Municipality of Ljubljana – Department for Culture