Synopsis

A solo performance by a man that unfolds momentarily, giving rise to two characters with independent lines of dialogue and accompanied by utopian visions. Luis Marrafa's interpretation gives rise to deep and abstract images of a devastated individual with the exact same age as his father when he died. Deliberately marked by scenic and choreographic strangeness, the piece unpacks metaphysical thinking in which various questions arise about existence, the absurdity of life and the presence of death.

 

Descriptive summary

A cruel blow of destiny, choreographer Luis Marrafa on the day of his ninth birthday 36 years ago witnessed his father's last breath just as he was preparing to celebrate his 45th birthday. Reaching this same age now, the son is overcome with an unexpected sense of wonder, not so much towards the finality of death, but in the astonishment of finding himself alive. For Freud and his followers, the metaphorical "killing" of the father was the moment at which self-identity was assumed. Yet what happens when a father is not so much killed as dies on you?

Aware of the dangers of integrating elements of autobiography in the field of artistic creation, this piece seeks neither a cathartic reaction nor a confessional tone. Rather, it departs from concrete lived experience and relies on works such as Karl Ove Knausgård’s “My Struggle”, Alain Platel’s “Requiem pour L.” and Paulo Coelho’s “Veronika Decides to Die". In these conditions, the solo performance "Ghost" is assumed as an abstraction that seeks to be open and inclusive.

Luis Marrafa interprets two characters on stage: a downcast, aged, depressed and antagonistic man who opposes and moves in the opposite direction of the other cheerful, positive, energetic and passionate character. The confrontation between these two discrepant worlds establishes a journey of surrealistic personifications that is neither morbid nor histrionic. Rather, it aims to create a balanced piece with a delicate and even poetic vision, providing a journey through colour-filled images to arouse alternative and speculative thoughts. A physically and interpretively demanding dance performance, with moments of suspension articulated by a unique and detailed sound and light concept conjugated by alternating video projections.