Book & The Arts

Maybe Forever performed by Meg Stuart and Philip Gehmacher/Photo: Novri TNOLAre you a dance lover? You must recognize the dancers and choreographers Meg Stuart from US and Philip Gehmacher from Austria. At Wednesday (6/16) they were having great performance in dance festival in Ismail Marzuki Park at the Indonesian Dance Festival 2010.

At least hundreds of visitors attended the festival to witness the collaboration of these experienced dancers. Accompanied by the music of Niko Hafkenscheid, they presented the work called 'Maybe Forever'. And, the audiences were stunned to see their dance filled with emotions and inspiration.

Full of emotion/ Photo: Novri TNOL

Maybe forever is a dance tells the struggle of two lovers. They must accept the fact that everything is not last forever. Meg Stuart and Philip Gehmacher apparently have created a dance of death without leaving fond memories in it.

Body language used by both dancers mentioned on the stage was really radical and intimate. As if body contact is the only one that could provide comfort for a moment of the many dilemmas of life. They exchanged through their opponent's body language until they reached the limit of emotions and find a new coverage.

Photo: Novri TNOL

Born in New Orleans in 1965, Meg Stuart a choreographer and dancer lives in Berlin. She had earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from New York University and became a member of Randy's Warshaw Dance Company for five years.

She achieved series of awards starting from the Pegasus Award, Hamburg (1994). Culture Prize of KU Leuven (2000), the German Der Faust (2006), The French Prize of Criticism (2008).

"Disfigure Study" (1991) was the first of a series of dance that he developed together with the dance group "Damaged Goods" to fulfill the invitation of the organizers Klapstuks Festival in the Leuven city.

There's no eternal life/ Photo: Novri TNOL

Meanwhile, Philip Gehmacher is an Austrian dancer and choreographer that was born in 1975 in Salzburg, Austria. He started his career as the student of Contemporary Dance School London in 1993. Then he successfully received a Bachelor of Art three years later.

With dance, entitled "Mountains are mountains," he introduced his first group dance to the public in 2003. The work was followed by several projects such as the "Incubator" of two solo dances and group dance "Like There's No Tomorrow".

Philip Gehmacher has been coloring various art festivals and performed in several theaters.