Choreographers Pusch, Vardimon to present works at Manoel festival

The dance companies of Jan Pusch and Jasmin Vardimon are performing at the European Dance Festival at the Manoel Theatre this weekend.

The festival is opening with the German dance company of Jan Pusch, who has worked successfully as a freelance choreographer/director and composer since 1994.

Time and space, future and reality are central themes in his choreographies, which are regularly presented in Hamburg and in numerous tours around Europe.

In his work Into the Blue, premiered in April, 2001, Pusch draws a picture reflecting the future of the human body. Composed of three brilliant dance solos, body language is elaborated on, with subtle interactions between video projections and the performers.

The celebrated British choreographer Jasmin Vardimon is presenting her dance programme, Ticklish, on Saturday.

Vardimon recently won the Jerwood Award for Choreography in the UK and several other prestigious choreographic festivals for her creations. Her previous works have been performed over 90 times in 15 countries, while her most recent work, Ticklish, has just completed two successful tours.

Vardimon is committed to producing high-quality, original dance theatre and developing the medium of dance by incorporating other artistic mediums and working with professional artists from different disciplines such as video artists, animators and musicians to consolidate the company's multi-media approach.

She touches on subjects of concern to broad sections of society, adopting a thematic approach, which dictates the movement.

Using a quartet of dancers, video projection and the acute choreographic observations that are her trademark, Vardimon delves into the emotional borderlines, where pleasure turns into irritation and a caress becomes a slap.

Over the last five years, Vardimon has formed a strong and identifiable choreographic voice. Her ability to theatrically capture violence, humour and sexual passion and her observance of physical behaviour and character interaction has set her work apart.

Ticklish continues Vardimon's examination of the human condition through the media of dance and physical theatre.

The festival is organised by the Delegation of the European Commission to Malta, the British Council and the German-Maltese Circle (in association with Goethe Institut Inter Nationes).

Vardimon is presenting a dance workshop on Thursday at 8 p.m. at the Dance Workshop, at the Tal-Qroqq national pool. Interested participants are to contact the British Council on 2323 2404.