The historical project of the Enlightenment failed. Lights do not work at all.
“Oops” is a solo dance performance enacted as a continuous “dialogue” between the dancer (Anita Wach) and the stage, which keeps questioning the meaning of the performer’s and its own existence. The stage takes on the role of a “dramatis personae”, addressing the audience and the dancer by way of a projected text: “I’m having trouble with the lights. I know I should turn them on any moment now. But I am afraid that this could be a mistake.” Even though the stage speaks from a position of a timeless consciousness, a transcendence, “critical reason”; even though it is perfectly aware of the historical loop of mistakes in which it gets caught up over and over again together with the artists, produces, audience, economy, the state, science, religion – it is completely powerless, condemned to the physical presence of the performer. The dancer, trapped in her own physical presence and at the same time a captive of its context, can only defend her own meaning through her body. Both set a limit to each other and both are forced to admit to each other how every time anew they manage to betray each other. Mistake is the only meaningful reason for their existence. “Oops” addresses the mechanism of the mistake, which acts as a noose from which there is no escape. For there is never just one mistake. It is always followed by an endless series of mistakes, until the need for change becomes too great. You change your dress style, or eating habits, your partner, job, name, address, bank, director, marriage, president, government, constitution, system… Life becomes an endless process of correcting mistakes, revolving around the repetition of one and the same mistake – to correct the mistake. History gradually loses its meaning. “Enlightened reason” got stuck at the court of King Louis XIV, cynically condemning every attempt to reach a solution to failure. It has become the captive of the mistake.

conceived by: Anita Wach and Bojan Jablanovec performer and choreographer: Anita Wach concept, text and direction: Bojan Jablanovec technical manager and light: Janko Oven music (selected by Anita Wach): Jean-Baptiste Lully, The Other Half, Michael Praetorius, Johnny Thunder producer: Špela Trošt production: Art Stations Foundation, Poznań and Via Negativa, Ljubljana supported by: the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Slovenia, the City of Ljubljana and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland co-production: tanzhaus nrw Düsseldorf and Dance Ireland, Dublin within: Modul-Dance program supported by the Culture Programme of the European Union

Anita Wach was a dancer of one of the first dance companies in Poland, Silesian Dance Theatre (Bytom, 1996-2003). Since 2005 she works mainly with Bretoncaffe Theatre (Warsaw) and collaborates with various artists as an independent performer and dancer. Bretoncaffe group members are concentrated on searching for a new method of body work and creating new dramaturgy of movement. She was a resident in Pact Zollwerein, Essen (2005), a scholar of Pro Helvetia (2003) and Polish Ministry of Culture (2011). She took part in several international projects: interdisciplinary KonglomeArt (Berlin 2003), improvisation project “Blind Date” and video-dance project (both Polish-Israeli cooperation, 2008). An author of three dance performances: presented at the Polish Dance Platform 2008 solo performance “Inch 1,5” (2006), improvised solo work “on/off” (2010) and syncretic duet “weast.com” (2009).