Events

DANCE FILM "MONOCHROMAS"
Choreographer, performer, composer: Anton Ovchinnikov
Producers: Anton Ovchinnikov, Black O!Range Dance Productions
Duration: 15 min

"It feels like all that is truly 'mine' is my body. Sometimes strong, but more often weak and vulnerable. Let your body express what your heart feels."
April 14, 2022, Morozivka village, Kyiv region

On the evening of February 24, 2022, when Russia started the war with Ukraine, I quickly left Kyiv and ended up in forced isolation. Kyiv was being bombed with cruise missiles, so I moved to the village of Morozivka, 50 km from Kyiv.
A week later, the war was already 20 km from where I was staying. We heard explosions and gunfire around the clock, and after a week we got used to these sounds. In early April, the Ukrainian army drove the Russian army out of the neighboring villages and it became quiet here.
Gradually, I began to regain my physical mobility and come out of my paralysis. Then I decided to film a few improvised videos to look at the transformations that had taken place in my body from the outside. Before that, I felt completely paralyzed. The only thing I could do was write poetry—suddenly, my thoughts and feelings began to take the form of words.
When I analyze my perception of events and information during this time, I get the impression that everything became completely black and white. The shades of gray disappeared, and people were divided into "friends" and "enemies." I searched for shades of gray to bring back the ability to feel into my life. This also became the ability to preserve an imagined perception of the world beyond good and evil." I
felt it was important to capture this moment. Thus, the film was born out of the isolation of wartime.

Let the Body Speak is a growing contemporary dance project developed by the Ukrainian Contemporary Dance Platform that explores the interaction between movement and voice as means of expression. This project explores the nonverbal narratives and emotional depths hidden within our bodies, emphasizing the power of somatic experience to convey social and political issues. Through a series of solo and collaborative performances, the dancers transform personal and collective stories into physical expressions, challenging traditional boundaries and encouraging reflection. By allowing the body to express what words often cannot, Let the Body Speak invites audiences to witness the open, authentic, and often contradictory truths of our shared human experience.
The project was created in 2022 with the support of the British Council in Ukraine, under the UK/UA Season Grant Program, in collaboration with the Ukrainian Institute.

Film program:
1.Flora Borovyk, Roman Chyhrynets, Yevhen Bal – 40th DAY
Duration: 2:12
Date and location: April 4, 2022, Kyiv, Ukraine

2. LYTVIN OLEKSANDRA – RAW
Duration: 3:02
Date and location: March 4, 2023, Babel Cultural Organization, Alcobaça, Portugal

3. DMYTRO ZAKHAROV – REVIVE
Duration: 6:16

4. DANYIL ZENKIN – RUNNER Duration
: 1:50

5. SVITLANA OLEKSIUK – SUITE ON UKRAINIAN FOLK THEMES
Duration: 12:18
Date and location: May 2022, Lviv, Ukraine

6. RITA LIRA – THE TRAP
Duration: 6:36
Date and location: March, 2023, Paris, France

7. YANA SHEVCHENKO and DMYTRO ABALMASOV – ROZKLAD RUHU (TIMETABLE) / TVARKARAŠTIS
Duration: 3:16

8. YAROSLAV KAINAR – THE LAST MAN
Duration: 5:24
Date and location: August 8, 2022, Kyiv, Ukraine

9. LESIA PRUSOVA – HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME
Duration: 2:20
Date and location: July 13, 2022, bomb shelter, Kyiv, Ukraine

10. OLENA VAKHRAMEIEVA – HOLD ON AND CONTINUE Duration
: 2:17

11. Anastasia Krasnoshchoka – FROM NOWHERE
Duration: 2:40

12. YAROSLAV KOROTKOV and VALERIA KOPTSEVA – LIGHT
Duration: 3:56

— ENG —

"Let the Body Speak" is an evocative contemporary dance project by the Ukrainian contemporary dance platform, delving into the profound interplay between movement and voice as mediums of expression. This project explores the unspoken narratives and emotional depths that reside within our bodies, emphasizing the power of somatic experience in conveying social and political issues. Through a series of solo and collaborative performances, dancers transform personal and collective stories into compelling physical expressions, challenging conventional boundaries and provoking thoughtful reflection. By allowing the body to articulate what words often cannot, "Let the Body Speak" invites audiences to witness and engage with the raw, authentic, and often controversial truths of our shared human experience.
The project is created in 2022 with the support of the British Council Ukraine, as part of the UK/UA Season grant program, together with the Ukrainian Institute.

DANCE FILM "MONOCHROME"
Choreographer, performer, composer: Anton Ovchinnikov
Produced by: Anton Ovchinnikov, Black O!Range Dance Productions
Duration: 15 min

“There is a feeling that of all that is really “mine” I have only my body left. Sometimes strong, but more often weak and vulnerable. Let the body tell you what your heart feels”
April 14, 2022, Morozivka Village, Kyiv region

On February 24, 2022, on the evening of the day when Russia began its war on Ukraine, I urgently left Kyiv and went into forced isolation. Kyiv was shelled with cruise missiles and I moved to the village of Morozivka, 50 km from Kyiv.
A week later, the war was 20 km from the place where I stayed. Around the clock, we heard explosions and shooting, and a week later we got used to these sounds. In early April, the Ukrainian Army drove out Russian troops from nearby villages and it became quiet here.
Gradually, I began to regain mobility in my body and come out of the stupor. Then, I decided to shoot a few videos of improvisations in order to look at the bodily transformations that happened to me from the outside. Before that, I felt completely paralyzed. The only thing I could do was write poetry – suddenly, my thoughts and feelings began to take the form of words.
When I analyze my perception of events and information during this time, I get the impression that everything has become completely black and white. Halftones disappeared and people were divided into 'friends' and 'foes'. I was searching for halftones to bring the ability to feel back into my life. It also became the ability to preserve the imaginative perception of the world beyond good and evil."
I felt it was important to capture this moment. That's how the movie came out of being isolated in wartime.