OBLIVION – Silvia Batet Dance Company

Spain

OBLIVION is a word that implies “to be forgotten”, but that can also be related to the idea of amnesty or forgiveness; it is a place of transformation between mourning and emptiness, between nothingness and memory. Based in a dreamlike world made of fantasy and surrealism, OBLIVION could be an image of afterlife, such as Dante describes it in The Divine Comedy: a space conditioned by the idea of the circle, by the eternal wandering of bodies through space; as if in the act of moving through space there was ultimately an act of surrender, a renunciation of everything that binds us to suffering: desire, memories, identity. “Vacare” in Latin, means to wander, to float; but it also means “to be empty”. OBLIVION is a a path that becomes easier to walk everytime, a dance of increasing entropy. After all, what is beyond, and oblivion could easily be the same thing.

Credits
Original idea, direction and choreography: Silvia Batet
Performance: Marta García, Cristina Reolid, Raquel Romero, Anna Serra and Pere Seda
Music: Sergi Puig
Music editor: Jose González
Stage and lighting design: Carles Borràs and Sergio Roca
Costume design: Marta Mas Soldevila / Skirts making: Anna Whirling
Production: Muntsa Roca, Rita Stivala – Anastàtica
Distribution: LANIU
External perspective: Anna Rubirola
Video and photography: Mila Ércoli

The performance was premiered 29th and 30th of July in Festival Grec 2021 (Mercat de les Flors, Barcelona). It has since then been danced in La Nave del Duende (Cáceres). It will be during 2021 in Istanbul Fringe Festival (Istanbul) and Prospettiva Danza Teatro (Padua, Italy).

Duration: 45 min.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ku48ItZTWA

The Company

The Silvia Batet Dance Company is a company based in Barcelona, composed by dancers, musicians, and light designers from all parts of Spain. The company started working professionally on 2017 andhas since then presented four dance pieces (“The Double Hélix”, “Pas de Carla, Iris, Raquel y Goretti”, “Réquiem” and “OBLIVION”) and has won in 2020 the important Choreographic Award “Premi deDansa de l’Institut del Teatre 2020”. The company has participated in numerous spanish nationalfestivals: RussafaEscènica (Valencia), EllasCrean (Madrid), QuinzenaMetropolitana de Dansa (Barcelona), and is currently in the process of internationalization, participating during 2021 inFlorence Dance Festival (Florence), Istanbul Fringe Festival (Istanbul), Prospettiva Danza Teatro (Padua)or Quinzena de Dansa de Almada (Portugal). The dance language of the company is characterized bythe formal simplicity and the structural complexity of the creations.
Links to the work and information on: www.silviabatet.com

Silvia Batet

Training And Studies
-Graduated in the Professional Degree in Classical Dance by the Conservatory of Valencia (2006-2013).
-University Degree in Dance and and Choreography at Institut del Teatre, in Barcelona.
-Training in urban dances in many schools, such as Pinneapple in London, Broadway Dance Centerin New York, Tribu Urbana, The Urban Dance Factory, Company & Company in Barcelona.
-Classical and contemporary dance training in schools such as Royal Academy of Dance in London,The Joffrey Ballet School in New York, Steps on Broadway in New York, Corella Dance Academy andInstitut del Teatre in Barcelona.
Professional experience
-Winner of the Premi de Dansa de l’Institut del Teatre 2020 Award with OBLIVION, premiered in Mercat deles Flors and finalist of the 34th Madrid Choreographic Contest. OBLIVION was premiered as a full lengthperformance in Festival Grec 2021, and has also been danced in EllasCrean (Madrid), SAT! Teatre
(QuincenaMetropolitana de Dansa, Barcelona), L’Estruch (Sabadell), Florence Dance Festival, HannoverChoreography Competition, Istanbul Fringe Festival and Premio Prospettiva Danza Teatro (Padua).
-Choreographer of Réquiem (2020), premiered in TeatreEstudi in Barcelona, and performed full length inRussafaEscènica 2020 (Valencia) and Quinzena de Dança de Almada (Portugal).
-Resident in several choreographic centers such as La Roca Umbert (Granollers, 2021), L’Estruch(Sabadell, 2021), La Visiva (2020) and Centre de creació La Caldera (2019).
-Choreographer of Pas de Carla, Iris, Cristina y Maria (2018) premiered in TeatreOvidiMontllor, andperformed in IF festival Barcelona 2018, and in the 32nd Madrid Choreographic Contest.
-Choreographer of La doble hélice (2017) performed in TeatreOvidiMontllor (Barcelona), L’estacióEscènika (Barcelona), GraciasxFavor (Santander), and awarded with a danceWEB scholarship forImpulsTanzViena in the 31st Madrid Choreographic Contest.
-Dancer in “De San Vito”, by the Catalan choreographer Andrés Corchero (2019).
-Dancer in “Halab”, by the choreographer Sol Picó, danced in Sismògraf (2017).
-Dancer in the Samson et Dalila opera by the company La FuradelsBaus, in the Palau de les Arts ReinaSofia in Valencia (2016).

Raquel Romero

Raquel Romero studied dance at the Professional Dance Conservatory of A Coruña and obtained the University Degree at the Institut del Teatre, in Barcelona. She has worked for choreographers such as Sol Picó, Lorena Nogal, Joan Català and Irene García La Quebrá, participating in numerous national dance festivals.

Marta García

Marta García studied dance at the Professional Conservatory in Seville and obtained the University Degree at Institut del Teatre, in Barcelona. She has worked in different operas (Orfeo and Eurídice, Dido and Eneas), participated in various national dance festivals (Coreofest, Burgos-New York, Sismògraf, Sabadell Choreographic Contest). She has worked for choreographers such as Lorena Nogal, Roser López Espinosa, Guy Nader and María Campos.

Anna Serra

Anna Serra studied at the NOD program in Turin, and became part of the junior company COBOSMIKA, directed by Olga Cobos and Peter Mika. She was also a dancer in FRE3 BODIES, postgraduate company directed by Nicolás Richini and Nadine Gerspacher (Barcelona). She has performed at festivals such as MAC Festival, Primavera Sound, Danseu Festival with Marina Mascarell, and The Soldier’s Tale with Ferran Carvajal. She is currently working in a new creation for Teatro Real, in Madrid.

Pere Seda

Pere Seda studied at the Professional Dance Conservatory of Institut del Teatre, in Barcelona and was part of the junior company COBOSMIKA. He has performed in different operas and has worked for choreographers such as Antonio Ruz. He is dancer and choreographer for the catalan traditional dance company EsbartMaragall.

Agnès Balfegó

Agnès Balfegó finished her studies at the Institute of the Arts Barcelona in 2018 with a Higher Degree in Dance. Since 2019 she has been a dancer with the Jesús Rubio Gamo company in the piece “Gran Bolero” (Max Award 2020). She has also worked in productions with Poliana Lima, Roberto Olivan, Teatro del Temple, Colectivo La Imperfecta, Anna Kathalin Nemeth, Luiz Fernando Bongiovanni and Ana Leitao, Valleto Company. As a creator, her solo EIXOS ’21 stands out, premiered and awarded by the jury at the 15m2 Festival. Her interest in exploring voice and singing led her to join the choral singing group “Fures in Nocte” with which she is collaborating currently, in addition to a solo musical project produced by “The Perimetrals”.

Sergi Puig

Sergi Puig studied the Degree in Composition and Musical Theory at the Conservatory of the Liceu Theater. Currently pursuing a Master in Composition at Kunstuniversität Graz (Graz). He was awarded the ANON composition award for Plural Ensemble. More than 12 original works premiered in the field of opera and classical music.

CarlesBorràs

Trained as a technician in the Spectacle Technology School of Barcelona (TTE). After working in film, events, concerts and television, he focuses his work on the world of performing arts. He started with the Vol-Ras company, and began to work as a technician at the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya. He has worked for different companies in both text theater and dance, with directors such as Jerome Savary, Josep Ma Flotats, Joan Ollé, Martí Torres, Alex Ollé, Miquel Gorriz, Alfredo Sanzol, Pau Miró, Silvia Munt, SergiBelbel, Cesc Gelabert, Alvaro de la Peña, Inés Boza, Agnès Mateus and Quim Tarrida. He is currently in charge of the technical coordination of La Caldera Centre de Creació.

Sergio Roca

Trained as a technical director of audiovisual and shows at the School of Audiovisual Media (EMAV, Barcelona). He also obtained his studies as a Lighting Technician and Sound Technician at the Spectacle Technology School (TTE). He has worked for companies such as Una del mucho, Agrupación Señor Serrano, PereFaura, Roser López Espinosa, LaPerla29, Animal Religion, NúriaGuiu, Pep Tosar, Raquel Klein, LaiaSantanach, Eulàlia Bergadà, Pau Aran or El Pollo Campero. He is currently in charge of the technical coordination of l’AnticTeatre.

Marta Sol De La Vila

Alsoknown as Sol de la Villa, she is a fashion designer. Trained in renowned firms in New York and London, her wardrobes include collaborations with the Vaikonur company and her latest work with the Silvia Batet dance company.