Pharsalia by Antonio Ruz, or how to carry out an induction exercise through contemporary dance

2023-05-21 17:46:52

Already in the synopsis of this piece we are warned that one of the starting points is the poem titled Pharsalia of Lucan. Which places us, the viewers, in the position of “holding ourselves” in said text, or of being witnesses of experiencing where it led him to. Anthony Ruz during the corresponding assembly process of this piece.

Now, how essential is it to know this text to enjoy this piece? And if one goes to see Pharsalia by Antonio Ruz without knowing him, or without even having read his synopsis, how many details will not have been within our reach? Since at the end of the day this text deals with a universal theme such as war. Is there “convenience” or responsibility on the part of viewers and programmers, when it comes to being familiar with the references on which the creations in play are based?

What is a fact is that, in our contemporary era, we have all been acquiring a kind of “general culture” in which we can refer to to “complement” the things that remain unfinished in the development of our respective readings of that that surrounds us If this is so, when it is being rendered Pharsalia,Are we seeing said piece, or perhaps we are abstracting its contents towards our own cultural baggage? I suppose this is similar to stating, that one in life spends reading a single book.

Photo: Maria Alperi

If we take the above to its last instance, then the history of art could be understood as a study of the process of self-understanding of the human being, through its artistic manifestations. Herein lies the importance of having notions of aesthetics, in order to do an induction exercise of whatever we are facing. Consider that a human being does not give his life if he wants to approach the so-called “great milestones” of our shared culture. So, forming more or less about this and that, is nothing more than a decision/bet with respect to what one has been encountering throughout his stay in this world.

In parallel, Pharsalia It is the product of Antonio Ruz’s interpretation of this war poem. So, he has managed to come up with the formula to not only dress his interpreters as soldiers from a twentieth century war, interspersing it with a clearly contemporary one-piece wardrobe. Enabling him to delve into different textures, movement qualities, emotional states, images…, which gave him room to expand on his contents, thanks to the fact that he oscillated from one place to another. But also, that it was, precisely, what helped him to constitute a dramaturgy in which a handful of ideas were developed. This is: First of all, this piece is not narrative (actually, Pharsalia consists of a succession of scenes that by themselves could be the seed of a new creation). That is why it seems to me that This work deals with the aforementioned poem by Lucano and all the wars that human beings have experienced. Making it accessible to anyone, regardless of their place of origin and level of general culture.

Photo: Maria Alperi

In this company, this Andalusian professional showed us disembodied, histrionic, dreamlike images, etc… (here the lighting design and the musical montage were fundamental). Well, his great aesthetic sensitivity endowed Pharsalia with so many layers that sometimes one did not know if one was seeing one work followed by another, or the result of Antonio Ruz carrying out a brutal exercise in synthesis. And even so, I would dare to say that this work the more it is represented, the more possibilities it will have to sublime what has been brewing inside itr. It is enough to stop at the impeccable performances of its eleven dancers, whose consistency resides in having lived up to the great challenge of versatility that Antonio Ruz made them deal with.

Of course, one of the values ​​of the quality of this work is in the degree of rapport and listening that existed between the interpreters (including the moments in which the solos that appeared in the middle of this piece were given the opportunity): It is noticeable that they have not “abused” the fact that they are professionals capable of “resolving” any emergency, or getting out of adverse conditions unscathed. No, this group of professionals have been responsible when it comes to managing the means available to them (tangible and intangible), giving rise to one of those creations that contribute to the contemporary performing arts in Spain continuing to evolve, not just surviving. .