Tongue kissing, pole dancing, strap-on dildos and anal penetration I don't usually associate with the art of dance and don't expect in a city theatre, but for Florentina Holzinger and Vincent Riebeek nothing seems too crazy. "Europe's most provocative performance duo" - in the words of Rainer Hofmann, artistic director of Spring festival - allowed themselves to be cast for 'Schönheitsabend' inspired by their predecessors, who reinvented dance with taboo-breaking choreographies in the early 20th century. In three acts, Holzinger and Riebeek present themselves as continuers of that tradition, exploring the boundaries of theatre. But nobody seems shocked - at least not me - and that may say more.
Two years ago, Holzinger and Riebeek were also part of SPRING Festival. I sat in the front row then and was completely overwhelmed: lesbian sex with strap-on dildo, peeing on stage and giving birth to a chicken egg... Nothing seemed too crazy! 'Wellness' thus became the festival hit in 2014. When I saw that they would be performing this year with 'Schönheitsabend', I had to and would therefore be there. Yet at the same time, I wondered how they could top themselves. After all, I thought I had seen all the extremes with 'Wellness'.
Sensual ballet
Holzinger and Riebeek take on the Arabic-tinged ballet 'Sheherazade' of the famous Ballets Russes, in which dancers first simulated having sex, as one of the starting points for a dance-duet in three acts. The first act opens with the duet of Zobeide, wife of the sultan, and the golden slave, danced at the time by the famous dancer Vaslav Nijinsky. It is a duet full of ballet vocabulary that is not danced entirely without merit, but makes me yearn for what is to come. The ballet that was so controversial in 1910 now feels incredibly well behaved.
Fortunately, I don't have to wait long. Indeed, Holzinger and Riebeek do not simulate. They really tongue-kiss and the dance becomes increasingly sensual. Then the performers change clothes on stage and ballet and ballet music give way to a pole-dancing act on the upbeat song 'Shine' by Years & Years - one of the highlights of the evening. With a deadpan face winding around each other and the poles, but you can sense from a distance how much fun is behind it. I myself feel butterflies in my stomach with enthusiasm and my mouth literally falls open with wonder. My eyes big and observant because I don't want to miss a moment. Holzinger and Riebeek know how to elevate pole dancing to an art.
Strap-on dildo
As in 'Wellness', a strap-on dildo is part of the 'Schönheitsabend', but where Holzinger then let herself be taken by a female co-star, while she quietly browsed through fashion magazines, she now penetrates her partner Riebeek herself. For several minutes, they dance together, continuously changing positions, without the (huge!) dildo leaving him. Lacking moans and facial expressions of pleasure, the emphasis is not on the pornographic, but rather on the choreographic element of the duet, which shows an unprecedented degree of creativity.
The second act of 'Schönheitsabend', inspired by Nijinsky's last performance before he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, is equally provocative, but in a completely opposite way. As exuberant as the first act was, the second is subdued. Riebeek, clad in a tight blue onesie, tells us they will show us how artists work, how they suffer and... how they enjoy themselves - but the latter fails to materialise. Riebeek, as Nijinsky, refuses to dance for the audience. The stage is too dirty, objects are wrong, the moment is missing, etc. For a long time, he sits on a black kitchen table chair at the front of the stage and looks at the audience, his left hand gently rubbing his left leg.
Naked
Knowing what this performer is capable of, it is painful to have to wait. Holzinger is sitting - frustrated - at the back left of the stage in evening dress behind a white piano, trying to persuade him to move while playing, but according to Riebeek, disrupting the moment he has with the audience: "No, no, they are right there with me!" he says smiling sweetly and looking at us obliquely. Only when the act seems already over and Riebeek has disappeared backstage does he return for one minute with a series of sissonnes and assemblies (ballet jumps). Unfortunately, it does not splash off the stage due to lack of ballet technique.
In the third act, 'Nijinsky' and his partner are in the afterlife. Holzinger walks half-naked to artistic director Rainer Hofmann, sitting next to me in the front row, and asks him to help her put on her flower suit. Not much later, Riebeek appears naked on stage wearing only a blonde wig and fake deer antlers. As Riebeek tells us about how the pair met, Holzinger ties fluorescently coloured ropes around Riebeek's torso and feet. Tension rises when it becomes clear that Riebeek is going to be hung from the rack at the back of the stage. As Riebeek spins around in the dark in bow pose, Holzinger climbs the pole and pours fluorescent paint over him. A beautiful image, which could have lasted much longer.
Sex and the City
The most striking thing about 'Schönheitsabend' is not the provocations, but that the audience does not seem shocked. The duet with anal penetration is discussed after the performance as emotionlessly as it was danced. Now you could argue that my generation - which grew up in the 1990s with 'Sex and the City' and documentaries full of sex tips - has simply seen it all before, but I think it's because of Holzinger and Riebeek's genius. By referencing famous choreographers and dancers from the 20th century in their performances - Martha Graham in 'Wellness' and Vaslav Nijinsky in 'Schönheitsabend' - and putting their act in historical perspective, they prevent their performance from becoming flat. Instead, the fun and their love of choreography splashes off the stage. Anything that could be seen as shocking and provocative becomes beautiful and interesting in the hands of Holzinger and Riebeek.
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