Meg Stuart

Meg Stuart accomplished an extraordinary “tour de force” this year, presenting three new shows, working with different people each time. It is remarkable that she can do this without “using” her dancers in the old-fashioned way – as a means to an end, i. e. as people who perform what she has in mind. On the contrary, in all of these three pieces different aspects of Stuart’s world are revealed precisely because of the people she chose to work with. A piece like “Blessed” could not exist without the enthralling presence of Portuguese dancer and choreographer Francisco Camacho.

“It’s Not Funny” is coloured by the presence of Boris Charmatz, among others. In both cases, they add their unique way of being and working to the piece. The strongest example of this fusion of personalities in one work is Stuart’s collaboration with Austrian choreographer Philipp Gehmacher in “Maybe Forever.” Sometimes it is as if Stuart is actually absorbing the very specific movements Gehmacher developed in his work.
These collaborations are by no means a gimmick applied by an author who doesn’t have anything to say anymore. In fact, in recent years Stuart’s work has become more and more concerned with the ...