Iztok Kovač, Julyen Hamilton

S.K.I.N.

#earlier en–knap works#co-productions

2003

The structure of S.K.I.N. is unpredictable and unique, built from more than twenty pre-prepared choreographic sequences whose order is determined by the performers in real time. This method of composition demands constant attention, as the dancers not only navigate shifting relationships with one another but also respond to a musician on stage, who may follow the agreed framework or unexpectedly diverge from it. The performance draws inspiration from contemporary questions of power and imperialism, as well as from Curzio Malaparte's novel The Skin, which reflects on the Allied liberation of Italy during the Second World War and its complex human consequences.

Kovac 05 Foto Miha Fras
Kovac 15 MF
Kovac 24
Kovac 56 Foto Miha Fras
Kovac 78 MF
Kovac rodeo09
S K I N by Iztok Kovac foto4 STRUP Production Nejc Saje
S K I N by Iztok Kovac foto Miha FRAS 56

The roots of the piece can be traced to a conversation between Iztok Kovač and poet Uroš Zupan about contemporary social and political realities, during which Curzio Malaparte's novel La pelle (The Skin) emerged as a key point of reference. Together with other sources, the novel informed the creative dialogue between Kovač and Julyen Hamilton and became one of the foundations of the work.

That dialogue continues on stage through a process of real-time composition. The performance is built from more than forty pre-determined and improvised sequences, assembled live by the performers. Its unpredictable structure demands constant concentration, as the dancers navigate shifting relationships with one another while responding to a musician on stage who is equally ready for collaboration and for playful departures from the agreed framework.

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.

Julyen Hamilton is a dancer, choreographer, musician and teacher whose influential career spans more than four decades. Trained in London during the experimental dance scene of the 1970s, he has become internationally recognised for his pioneering approach to improvisation, creating performances in which movement, text and composition emerge in real time. He has created over one hundred solo works, numerous group pieces and long-term collaborations with dancers, musicians and theatre artists. Through his company ALLEN'S LINE, he develops performances that combine choreographic precision with spontaneity and immediacy. Alongside his work in dance, Hamilton is an accomplished writer and musician, regularly performing with leading improvising musicians including Barre Phillips, Fred Frith and Tristan Honsinger. His artistic practice moves fluidly between dance, language and music, making him one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary performance.

credits

Concept Iztok Kovač 

Choreography and directed by Iztok Kovač, Julyen Hamilton

Created and performed by Karmit Burian, Julyen Hamilton, Gali Kaner, Iztok Kovač, Andreja Rauch, Carme Renalias, Sebastiano Tramontana

Music Sebastiano Tramontana 

Content consultation Maja Kranjc 

Light design Jaka Šimenc 

Set design Marko Japelj 

Costume design Andreja Kovač 

Technical manager Jaka Šimenc 

Technician Miha Zupan

Public relations Karla Železnik 

Organization help Jelka Pekolj

Translations Mojca Demšar 

Design Gsus AJAX/Ajax Studio 

Photography Nejc Saje, Sašo Podgoršek, Julyen Hamilton 

Executive producer Jana Wilcoxen 

Production adviser Jožko Rutar 

Production assistant Andreja Kralj

 

Production En–Knap 

Co-production Cankarjev dom (Ljubljana, Slovenija), Muza Dance Company (Tel Aviv, Izrael)

With support: Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, Municipality of Ljubljana - Department for Culture and Research Activity, Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Jerusalem, Israel; Tel Aviv – Yafo Municipality