Contemporary Circus

Performing and creating are Marina’s favorite activities in the world. Particularly, she finds endless inspiration through improvisation—the body as her weapon-of-choice. Finding her singular niche somewhere deep in the pockets between contemporary circus and dance, research, innovation and a questioning of conventionalities are at the core of her creations. As she continues to create, more words on what she encompasses might reveal themselves.
Primarily a solo artist, she also enjoys collaborations and is working in diverse projects around Europe including the upcoming production by Belgian company Petri Dish as well as the production 2022 by Belgian Company ‘Les Argonauts’. Marina works as well as a pedagogue and along her travels loves giving workshops in movement research, acro-dance and handstands. She is simultaneously pursuing a degree in philosophy with the University of London (online).

This piece can either be presented as such, in an 8 minute format, or at its current state 25 minutes.
IN[EX]
A complex tension between internal and external.
An exploration of the contradictory paradox of mind and body.
A search into the self. Of being. Amongst Beings.
Of what it means to exist in a world alone yet surrounded by others.
A warped un-narrative told through the body of a contortionist.

IN[EX] confronts one’s absolute freedom of existence through the perspective of a body that is seemingly unconstrained.
It is a research of self, of the physical body, and of the connection to the external.
It is an auto-experimentation; a poking and prodding to the large questions in life traversing multiple dimensions of language.

This performance is a research of the internal enigmas that face each individual, allowing us to see our naïve reality in a different perspective. An uncanny delving of extra-ordinary physicality trying to overcome the barriers of banality that entrap the human existence.
Constructed from my allurement towards the larger picture, a peculiarly poetic exploitation of contortion; IN[EX] attempts to find common ground for opposites: a sense to the absurd.

Thanks to these encounters, I have developed a real relationship with my bike and I try to build a poetic and sometimes offbeat universe on stage.
My passion for books has allowed me to create a repertoire of more or less eccentric and crazy characters to whom I give life on my bike.

The circus brings together and unifies all forms of art on the same stage. For me everything can be circus. It is enough simply to observe life in order to be inspired by it and to transpose it with the body. The circus has no limits. Everything is possible and imaginable.

 – “Jean” (Soft voice) – “I had a dream last night Jean… It was magnificent, splendid, fantastic, wonderful, extraordinary (+ in+ strong)… ” – “And then I heard a noise, it was you snoring, you woke me up again, and you also wiggle at night… Jean, are you listening to me? When I finally managed to find sleep it was no longer a dream that I was living, it was a nightmare, it was horrible, awful, appalling, atrocious, repulsive, infamous “. – “It’s because of what happened last night… Jean, I spent my day cleaning the kitchen, it was everywhere. I have at least a month to make up for it… I can’t take it anymore Jean.” – “And then the laundry was all stained, I didn’t know if I should wash it in hot water? in cold water? 30°? 50°? 90°? with soap? Or bleach?… So I burned everything…- (whispers to her at the bike) “I think he doesn’t love me anymore…”

 – (She gets up, voice louder) “Jean, are you there? Can you hear me, Jean?”

 – (malicious smile) “You know, last night when I went to put the stuff in the back of the garden, I’m sure the neighbor saw me because this morning when I went to get the mail she said hello to me but it wasn’t like usual… She didn’t say hello to me, but HELLO!- “And the back neighbor’s dogs, all they did was bark, I’m sure they smelled something”  – “I heard a noise, I think someone is there, close all the windows, doors, curtains, shutters… We have to hide… Chute makes no noise… – “Jean, (for her) but what is he doing, why doesn’t he answer Jean, (for her) he’s gone he’s gone he’s left me all alone.

 (Shouting) JEAN (calm) ah bah you’re here (shouting) don’t ever do that again listen it’s been months since I’ve taken care of everything here: Cleaning, disinfecting, and even pampering your knife. And what do you do in the meantime?

 Nothing at all nothing at all . – (with a big smile and wide eyes) “So let me rest for five minutes, no three minutes, put on some music or I think I’m going to freak out.” Music: (songs from the movie “La Boum”)