| on 05-03-2008 15:01
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Published in : , Art |
by Catherine Park
 In the beginning was the word A cry out of the darkness…
Angel depicts the fall from grace of a drunken tramp who encounters an angel in a graveyard and sets up home with him. A unique blend of puppetry, contemporary dance and theatre, it transports us to an ambivalent world of dreams, curses and revelation. Does the angel bring a message, a judgment, or the kiss of death? Has the drunken tramp had one too many? Duda Paiva compellingly blends dance, puppetry and confessions into a magical tale of unholy love.
Renowned for their innovative combination of modern dance with classic puppet manipulation, artistic directors Eduardo de Paiva Souza and Paul Selwyn Norton have pioneered a new technique, ‘dividing the beats’, which animates and extends the dancers body language and choreography. The result is a poetic form that enthralls and provokes as much as it entertains. The manner, in which the actor achieves to persuade the audience that the puppet is alive, is unbelievable.With choreographic artistry and dramatic vision, Angel, is a haunting experience of intense beauty and restraint.
Duda Paiva Puppetry and Dance [DPPD] is a Dutch theatre company that has been researching the possibilities within the combination of dance and puppetry, developing a language that is not only unique but innovative in the field of theatre. The artistic directors, Eduardo de Paiva Souza en Paul Selwyn Norton are pioneering new techniques that animate and extend the dancers body language and its choreography. The result is a poetic form that enthrals and provokes as much as it entertains. Angel is the first production made by de Paiva and Norton and created a huge step forward in their collaboration. This production, made for CaDance 2004, has played in more then twenty Dutch theatres and has been selected for the Dutch Dance Days 2005 as an example of crossovers in modern dance.
'Great puppetry involves the ability of the performer to transfer energy and intelligence to the figure itself, making it and its movements completely convincing and captivating – Duda does this brilliantly.' Puppeteers UK
'Angel is a minimalist dance and puppet performance, the likes of which are rarely made in the Netherlands . In his role as a down-and-out drifter, Eduardo de Paiva Souza meets his guardian angel, a puppet he manipulates as if it were a living being. In almost a dream-like state, they hold a powerful discussion on the lot of humankind.' selection Dutch Dance days
'A magical performance reminiscent of Paris in the days when absinth was popular. Eduardo de Paiva Souza plays and dances a wonderfully designed, funny and touching 'tale of unholy love' with his oh so human villainous stone angel. Very impressive!' Muriel Pels
CREDITS
Concept, performance: Duda Paiva
Direction, Script: Paul Selwyn Norton
Coach Puppetry: Neville Tranter
Puppet: Ulrike Quade
Lighting design: Bas Vissers
Light, sound : Hans C Boer, Mark Verhoef
Music: Jim Barnard, Duda Paiva
Producers: Korzo Theatre, DPPD, Laswerk
Subsidy: Dutch Fund for the Performing Arts, VSB Fund
AWARDS
2007 Best Overall Production International Teatr Treff (Tallinn, Estonia)
2006 Critics Choice FITAZ (La Paz, Bolivia)
2006 Little Prince - Grand Prix Lutke 06 (Ljubljana, Slovenia)
2005 Prize of the Polish Artists' Association for the mastery in animation, Festival Baj Pomorski (Torun, Poland)
2005 Grand Prix en Public award of the 6th International Puppetry festival (Ostrava, Czech Republic)
2005 selected for the Dutch dance days ANGEL @ Palac Akropolis 10.03.08 8pm
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