Cancer, Choreographed” – a contemporary dance performance by Cosmin Manolescu & Paradis Serial, dedicated to the memory of Rodica Dan, Gabriela Tudor and Dean Marijo Russell-O’Grady.

The performance “Cancer, Choreographed” is a cathartic and participatory emotional journey between life, death and dance. Premiered in April in Bucharest, New York and New Jersey and then presented in Brașov and Timișoara created by choreographer Cosmin Manolescu. The show focuses on the pain and visions of a male character, who is facing the disease of breast cancer, a rare form but also present in men, but less known and publicized in Romania. The show was created based on the text of the same name written by playwright Cătălina Florescu from New York.

“Talking about pain, about death, about the things that transform us is human and essential at the same time, somehow part of the experience of life. Through this project, initiated by Cătălina Florescu and staged by me in a participatory version, I return to the difficult area of encountering cancer. We thus try to bring a ray of hope and contribute to the understanding of how we can fight the demons and problems of contemporary society. You can’t limit yourself to just doing dance shows about love and the beauty of life when people are dying by your side. Especially after the pandemic and in the context of the current war in Ukraine, I think it is necessary to address the darker aspects of ourselves, including the prospect of meeting death. The show is built as a participatory rollercoaster and the goal is to accompany people on this journey, to provide companionship and empathy, for people and for life. The loss of Gabriela Tudor in 2009 radically changed my life, my relationship with people but, I think, with dance as well. Through the “Cancer, Choreographed” show and the WellDance course, we try to create a safe meeting space, where we can talk through dance and movement about the pain accumulated in us, offering support and accompaniment to those who need it.” – Cosmin Manolescu in the interview by Beatrice Lăpădat for Liternet.Ro which can be read in full at https://rb.gy/lwdt2

CREDITS:

After the dramatic text “Cancer, Choreographed” by Cătălina Florescu | Concept: Cosmin Manolescu | Choreography and interpretation: Cosmin Manolescu, Cristina Lilienfeld | Original musical composition: Sabina Ulubeanu | Video design: Cinty Ionescu | Light design and live DJ: Alexandros Raptis | Photo : Alina Usurelu | Approximate duration: 100′

 

Show co-produced by the Gabriela Tudor Foundation, ARCUB – the Cultural Center of the City of Bucharest, the Romanian Cultural Institute New York and presented in Brașov in partnership with the Reduta Cultural Center within the “Tree of Life” project, a cultural project co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund .