Perhaps she could dance first and think afterwards
Program text on a solo by Vera Mantero
In the improvised solo Perhaps she could dance first and think afterwards Vera Mantero transfers her inner experience into movement by using a process that she calls ‘telling the moment’. With this solo Vera Mantero broke through internationally and was awarded at the Mudanças festival in 1994 and Les Rencontres Chorégraphique de Bagnolet in 1996.
“I think all my pieces are born by chance. Too much by chance. I would like to be a little bit more methodical. But I think that to be methodical one has to believe and I have a problem: some lack of belief. Art and creation are some of the things that most interest me in life, but it seems that each time I start doing something in that field I immediately stop believing in it. And then I finally stop believing in life itself and other things and so on. My relationship with dance revolves around the following questions: What does dance say? What can I say with dance? What am I saying when I’m dancing?
I didn’t want to do this piece. Fortunately there was someone (Bruno Verbergt) who put a stage at my disposal and told me to do on it exactly whatever I needed to do. I did so. This piece evolved from all I just said.” (Vera Mantero)
Dance: Vera Mantero / Set: André Lepecki / Music: “Ruby, My Dear” by Thelonious Monk / Costume: Vera Mantero / Production : Pos d’Arte, 1991 /Other support: Companhia de Dança de Lisboa / A commission for Klapstuk Festival 1991