From A to B via C

source: alexandrabachzetsis

In Alexandra Bachzetsis’s new performance and installation work From A to B via C, three bodies move from and towards each other, acting as each other’s mirror image — yet mediated and unsynchronized. The mirror image becomes a site for transposition where various elements are transferred, leaving corresponding traces. Evolving as it is performed, From A to B via C proposes a set of three trajectories: from one body to another, between language and the moving body, and towards a new space for performance.

Throughout the performance, three dancers use each other as instructional mirrors in their attempts to compose scenes of true virtuosity. The space in which these scenes take place can be a ballet classroom, the staging of an iconic image, or an online dance tutorial, yet what they have in common is that the virtuose can only exist for a brief moment, as if achieved by accident. Then it changes into a different version of itself, more true than its purest original or decomposing in front of our eyes. The changing scenes are indicative of a desire to belong, to communicate and embed one’s own identity. In this setting of instruction and virtuosity, the dancers’ bodies — their interior and exterior — are the vocabulary, grammar, and syntax with which to transfer knowledge and information. Ultimately, they enact their own transposition into each other, blurring the lines of autonomy, individual agency, and the hierarchies between their bodies.

The relationship between language and transposition is one of the central questions in From A to B via C. For Bachzetsis, language is conceived as something physical and embodied, yet the work also raises questions about translation. In which ways is knowledge transferred in language, as an ostensibly arbitrary collection of signs functioning as indicators of meaning? And what is the language of the performing body? The latter question in particular seems pertinent to dance and performance, as scores and notations are often proposed as linguistic carriers for bodily expression. The score enables the performance to be transferred in its most reductive form, yet how does this written language affect the embodied performance?

From A to B via C will unfold in different versions, taking place in the theater, exhibition space, and online. Between the different platforms on which performance is presented, a common space emerges. We wonder how we got here, and carefully trace back our steps.

Text by Hendrik Folkerts
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source: pole-sudfr

Alexandra Bachzetsis (née en 1974 à Zurich) est artiste, interprète et chorégraphe résidant à Zurich. Son expérience professionnelle s’étend sur un large éventail de disciplines : le théâtre, la danse, et les arts visuels. Elle a étudié au Zürcher Kunstgymnasium, à la Dimitrischule à Versico en Suisse et au STUK arts centre à Leuven en Belgique. Elle a ensuite continué ses études de troisième cycle à Das Arts : centre de recherche avancée en théâtre et en danse à Amsterdam. Pendant ses années de formation, elle débute comme danseuse avec Sasha Waltz & Guests à Berlin et avec Les Ballets C. de la B. à Gent, où elle a travaillé avec Christine De Smedt et Koen Augustijnen. Depuis 2001, elle travaille de manière indépendante. Ses œuvres constituent une enquête sur les genres des arts du spectacle, les techniques de la chorégraphe et les formes du comportement scénique. L’intérêt principal d’Alexandra Bachzetsis réside dans les codes qui régissent les gestes tant dans la vie quotidienne que sur scène. Dans ses créations, Alexandra Bachzetsis combat les manières de la représentation stéréotypée du corps de la femme dans la culture populaire contemporaine, le show-business, et l’industrie du sexe. Elle dévie les clichés de la féminité commerciale et de la masculinité idolâtrée, pour les utiliser comme composants d’un nouveau langage formel et cohérent, un langage qui devient un outil d’introspection.

De 2001 à 2011, elle signe plusieurs pièces : « Perfect » (Anvers, 2001), « Showing » (Berlin, 2002), «Karen Eliot » (avec Eva Meyer-Keller et Uta Eisenreich, Zurich, 2003), « Show Dance » (Bruxelles, 2004), « Best Of » (avec Anat Stainberg, Amsterdam 2004), « Murder Mysteries » (avec Danai Anesiadou, Bruxelles, 2004), « Gold » (Zurich, 2004),« Secret Instructions » (avec Julia Born, Amsterdam, 2005), « Handwerk » (Amsterdam, 2005), « Undressed » (Zurich, 2005), « Musical » (Gent 2006), « Mainstream » (avec Yan Duyvendak, Zürich 2007), « ACT » (avec Tina Bleuler et Lies Vanborm, Dresde 2007). « This side up » (vidéo, avec Julia Born, Londres, 2007), « Soirée » (avec Lies Vanborm et Tina Bleuler, Zurich, 2008), « Dream Season » (Zurich 2008 ), « Dancing » (avec les étudiants de Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam 2009), « Bluff » (Zurich, 2009), « Rehearsal (Ongoing) » (vidéo, Glaris, 2010) et “A Piece Danced Alone” (Zurich, 2011).

En 2007, Bachzetsis reçoit le Prix Migros Kulturprozent Jubilee Award. La même année, elle cofonde le collectif d’artistes « Company » avec Lies Vanborm et Tina Bleuler. En 2008, elle participe à la 5è Biennale d’art contemporain de Berlin et à la Kunsthalle de Bâle, où elle crée un nouveau spectacle « Dream Season ». En 2010, elle reçoit du département de la culture du canton de Bâle-Campagne, un prix pour la performance « Bluff ». En 2010, Alexandra Bachzetsis présente « Secret Instructions », dans une exposition de groupe «Performative Structures. New existentialisme, Part 1 », organisée par Alexandra Blättler à la Alte Fabrik à Rapperswil (Suisse) et « Rehearsal (Ongoing) » dans une exposition individuelle au Kunsthaus Glarus (Suisse). Elle remporte le Swiss Art Award 2011 et est nominée pour le prix DESTE 2011 à Athènes, en Grèce. En 2012, elle obtient le prix suisse de la Performance..
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source: hebbel-am-uferde

Die Künstlerin, Performerin und Choreografin Alexandra Bachzetsis (*1974 in Zürich) lebt in ihrer Geburtsstadt. Ihre Ausbildung war breit gefächert und umfasste Theater, Tanz und Bildende Kunst, am Zürcher Kunstgymnasium, der Dimitri-Schule im schweizerischen Verscio und im Rahmen des Performance Education Program des STUK Arts Center im belgischen Leuven. Es folgte ein Masterstudium am DasArts (De Amsterdamse School/Advanced Research in Theatre and Dance Studies), Amsterdam. Während ihrer Ausbildung begann sie als Tänzerin in der zeitgenössischen Tanz- und Performanceszene und arbeitete unter anderem mit Sasha Waltz & Guests (Berlin) und Christine De Smedt und Koen Augustijnen vom Les Ballets C. de la B. (Gent) zusammen. Seit 2001 arbeitet sie selbstständig und produziert und präsentiert ihre Arbeiten in Theatern und im Kunstbereich.
Als Choreografin und Performerin hat Alexandra Bachzetsis verschiedene Solo- und Gemeinschaftsprojekte produziert, so „Perfect“ (Antwerpen, 2001), „Showing“ (Berlin, 2002), „Karen Eliot“ (mit Eva Meyer-Keller und Uta Eisenreich, Zürich, 2003), „Show Dance“ (Brüssel, 2004), „Best Of“ (mit Anat Stainberg, Amsterdam, 2004), „Murder Mysteries“ (mit Danai Anesiadou, Brüssel, 2004), „Gold“ (Zürich, 2004), „Secret Instructions“ (mit Julia Born, Amterdam, 2004), „Handwerk“ (Amsterdam, 2005), „Undressed“ (Zürich, 2005), „Musical“ (Gent, 2006), „Mainstream“ (mit Yan Duyvendak, Zürich, 2007), „ACT“ (mit Lies Vanborm und Tina Bleuler, Dresden, 2007), „This side up“ (Einkanalvideo und Text, mit Julia Born, London, 2007), „Soirée“ (mit Lies Vanborm und Tina Bleuler, Zürich, 2008), „Dream Season“ (Zürich, 2008) „Dancing“ (unter Beteiligung von Studenten der Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam, 2009), „Bluff“ (Zürich, 2009), „Rehearsal (Ongoing)“ (Zweikanalvideo, Glarus, 2010) und „A Piece Danced Alone“ (Zürich, 2011).
Bachzetsis erhielt 2007 den Migros Kulturprozent Jubilee Award. Im selben Jahr gründete sie mit Lies Vanborm und Tina Bleuler das Kollektiv Company. 2008 nahm sie an der 5. Berlin Biennale für zeitgenössische Kunst teil und hatte in der Kunsthalle Basel eine große Einzelausstellung, „Show“, kuratiert von Adam Szymczyk, in deren Rahmen sie erstmals die Performance „Dream Season“ aufführte. 2009 erhielt sie von der Stadt Zürich eine Förderung für ihre Arbeit als Choreografin. 2010 wurde ihre Performance „Bluff“ von der Kunstdirektion des Kantons Basel-Land ausgezeichnet. Im selben Jahr war Bachzetsis mit ihrer Arbeit in der Gruppenausstellung „Performative Structures. New Existentialism, Part 1“ vertreten, kuratiert von Alexandra Blättler im Museum Alte Fabrik im schweizerischen Rapperswil. Im Rahmen des übergreifenden Projekts „Performative Structures“ (unter Leitung von Sabine Rusterholz) zeigte sie außerdem in ihrer Einzelausstellung „Play“ im Kunsthaus Glarus die Performance „Secret Instructions“ und die neue Videoarbeit „Rehearsal (Ongoing)“. 2011 war Bachzetsis nominiert für den DESTE Prize (Athen). 2012 erhielt sie den Schweizer Performance Preis und ihre Arbeit Etude wurde zur Eröffnung der dOCUMENTA (13) gezeigt..
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source: alexandrabachzetsis

Alexandra Bachzetsis (born 1974 in Zurich) is an artist, performer and choreographer based in Basel and Zurich. Her professional background includes a wide range of disciplines: theatre, dance and visual arts. She studied and graduated at the Zürcher Kunstgymnasium (CH), the Dimitrischule in 
Verscio (CH) and the Performance Education Program at the STUK arts centre in 
Leuven (BE). She then continued to post-graduate level at Das Arts, the Advanced Research in Theatre and 
Dance Studies centre in Amsterdam (NL). During her training years, she began to work as a dancer in contemporary dance and performance 
context, collaborating among others with Sasha Waltz & Guests in Berlin (D) and 
with Les Ballets C. de la B. in Gent (BE), where she worked with Christine De Smedt and Koen Augustijnen. Since 2001, she has been working independently, producing and presenting her own work in theatres and contemporary art venues.

Her work constitutes an inquiry into genres of performing arts, techniques of choreography and forms of scenic behaviour. Bachzetsis’ main interest lies in codes that govern gestures, both in everyday life and on stage. Her choreography scrutinises the mutual influence between the use of gesture and movement in the ‘low’, ‘commercial’ genres – such as romantic comedy, TV soap, or hip-hop video-clip – and in ‘arts’, such as ballet, modern dance and performance. Bachzetsis arrives at new ideas in dance performance inducing a productive crossing and translation between the hitherto isolated or even mutually exclusive cultural fields. In her performances, Bachzetsis takes on stereotyped modes of representation of female body in contemporary popular culture, show business and sex industry. She diverts clichés of commodified femininity and idolized masculinity to use them as building blocks in a new, consistent formal language that becomes tool of self-reflection and means to empowerment.

As a choreographer and (sometimes solo) 
dancer/performer, Alexandra Bachzetsis authored and co-authored “Perfect” (Antwerp, 
2001), “Showing” (Berlin, 2002), “Karen Eliot” (in collaboration with 
Eva Meyer-Keller and Uta Eisenreich, Zurich, 2003), “Show Dance”
(Brussels, 2004), “Best Of” (in collaboration with Anat Stainberg, Amsterdam 2004), “Murder Mysteries” (in collaboration with Danai
 Anesiadou, Brussels, 2004), “Gold” (Zurich, 2004), “Secret 
Instructions” (in collaboration with Julia Born, Amsterdam, 2005), “Handwerk” (Amsterdam, 2005), “Undressed’ (Zurich, 2005), “Musical”
(Gent 2006), “Mainstream” (in collaboration with Yan Duyvendak, Zürich
 2007), “ACT” (in collaboration with Lies Vanborm and Tina Bleuler, 
Dresden 2007). “This side up” (single-channel video and text print in collaboration with Julia Born, London, 
 2007), “Soirée” (in collaboration with Lies Vanborm and Tina Bleuler, 
Zurich, 2008), “Dream Season” (Zurich, 2008), “Dancing” (with participation of students of Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam 2009), “Bluff” (Zurich, 2009), “Rehearsal (Ongoing)” (two-channel video, Glarus, 2010) and “A Piece Danced Alone” (Zurich, 2011).

In 2007, Bachzetsis received the
 Migros Kulturprozent Jubilee Award. In that same year she
co-founded the artists collective ‘Company’ together with Lies Vanborm and Tina Bleuler. In 2008 she took part in the 5th Berlin Biennial for Contemporary Art and had a major solo exhibition “SHOW”, curated by Adam Szymczyk at the Kunsthalle Basel, where she premiered a new performance “Dream Season”. In 2009 she received a grant for choreography of the city of Zurich and 2010 an award for performance “Bluff” from the culture department of canton Basel-Land. In 2010 Bachzetsis presented her work in a group exhibition “Performative Structures. New Existentialism, Part 1”, curated by Alexandra Blättler at Alte Fabrik in Rapperswil (CH) and the performance “Secret Instructions” as well as new video work “Rehearsal (Ongoing)” were shown in her individual exhibition “Play” at Kunsthaus Glarus (CH), within the framework of the project “Performative Structures”, curated by Sabine Rusterholz. She won the Swiss Art Award 2011 and was nominated for the DESTE Prize 2011 in Athens, Greece. In 2012 she won the Swiss Performance Prize and her work Etude was included in dOCUMENTA (13). Her piece “The Stages of Staging”, 2013 was presented among other places at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, at Fondation Beyeler, Riehen and at Seralves, Porto.

Her new work “From A to B via C”, 2014 has been commissioned by Tate Modern, London, Jumex Museum, Mexico City and the Biennale of Moving Images in Geneva.