Events
SAME SAME
Dame de Pic/Cie Karine Ponties & Temporary Collective (Belgium & Czech Republic)
Asian Premiere Book Now“It doesn’t happen too often that you leave the theatre slightly confused, but with a relaxed smile on the lips and feeling refreshed. Watching someone act foolishly [in SAME SAME] is therapeutic; it helps you not to take yourself so seriously and let some absurdity into your life. Boredom can kill even the most meaningful work.”
—Lucie Kocourková, Taneční aktuality (translated from Czech)
There are some actions we do everyday. Doing them makes life feel normal. When a strange thing happens, it makes us think more about these “normal” actions, and if we can try something new. We meet two women who almost look like each other. They are tired and stressed. They get lost and allow themselves to feel wild.
Three people created this work. They are Belgian choreographer Karine Ponties, leading Czech creative dancer Tereza Ondrová and theatre director Petra Tejnorová. The humour in this work can remind you of silent film actor Buster Keaton. He was famous for doing big tricks to make people laugh. He keeps a neutral face when doing silly things. Like him, this work tries to make us laugh but also makes us feel things. It also tries to be funny in a way we don't expect.
SAME SAME has won two awards at the Czech Dance Platform: Best Dancer of the Year and Special Mention by the Jury.
There is a post-show talk on 20 January 2024. Speech to text interpretation can be done if needed. If you need this service, email us at info@singaporefringe.com before 15 December 2023.
Artist Statement
SAME SAME looks at issues we face at work and our lives. These include being bored, tired, stressed, and aimless. It shows us how strange it is that we repeat actions, both to people we are close and not so close to. Humans and how we connect with other people are complex.
This work also talks about:
- How things look like, or don’t look like each other
- Power, or letting yourself to be controlled
It purposely shows us strange things to make us question the normal things in our lives.
“It doesn’t happen too often that you leave the theatre slightly confused, but with a relaxed smile on the lips and feeling refreshed. Watching someone act foolishly [in SAME SAME] is therapeutic; it helps you not to take yourself so seriously and let some absurdity into your life. Boredom can kill even the most meaningful work.”
—Lucie Kocourková, Taneční aktuality (translated from Czech)
In a world where reason is a nice façade, the bursting in of non-sense makes us face our relationship with normalcy and allows us to be receptive to unexplored paths. Somewhere between burnout and brownout, two women, exposed to each other like a palindrome in a distorting mirror, lose their direction and rekindle their inner wild animals.
Belgian choreographer Karine Ponties, leading Czech creative dancer Tereza Ondrová and theatre director Petra Tejnorová explore the boundaries of subtle humour, irony and absurdity in this award-winning dance-theatre performance. Inspired by silent film actor Buster Keaton whose trademark physical comedy was heightened by his deadpan expressions, SAME SAME moves us with their depth and sincerity despite the hilarity of the form.
Post-show dialogue on 20 January 2024, with speech to text interpretation available upon request. Please email your request to info@singaporefringe.com before 15 December 2023.
Artist Statement
Somewhere between bored out, burnout, and brownout, SAME SAME explores the contemporary issues we face at work and in our lives. The piece highlights the absurdity of repetitive gestures in both public and private spheres while playing with mirror effects to emphasise the complexity of human beings and relationships. In this piece, we also explore resemblance and dissemblance, domination and submission, superficiality and depth. In a world dominated by reason, the interruption of absurdity compels us to confront our relation with normalcy.
Download artist biographiesDate & Duration
20 January 2024, 8pm
21 January 2024, 3pm
55 min with no intermission
Location
Esplanade Theatre Studio
Price
$35 | $28*
*Concession for students, NSF, senior citizens and PWD cardholders
Esplanade&Me Specials (7 Nov - 31 Dec 2023, limited tickets)
Black & White card members enjoy a 10% discount off standard price tickets. Log in to your Esplanade&Me member account to access the promo code.
Accessibility Features
Open captions in English for all shows
Rating
General
︎ Website DameDePic.be TemporaryCollective.ez
︎ Facebook @Cie.DameDePic @TemporaryCollectiveCZ
︎ Instagram @DameDePicCieKarinePontiesOff @Temporary_Collective
View trailer here