Der Zwerg/ The Dwarf
Choreography and Performance Canan Yücel Pekiçten
Music Franz Schubert, Der Zwerg D. 771 Lasts 6 min.
“Der Zwerg / The Dwarf”, is inspired by the Schubert’s song called “Der Zwerg, D.771” and the novel of Pär Lagerkvist called “Dvärgen”(The Dwarf). The song makes the story out of the impossibility of the love affair between the Queen and “her dwarf” in a grotesque way. What does this grotesque and demonic poem tells? “Der Zwerg / The Dwarf”, is an expression of desires of an evil dwarf who sticks up its head from the darkness and depths of the souls. Queen and specified in the song with a possessive pronoun, “her dwarf” comes into existence in the same body.
“I have noticed that sometimes I frighten people; what they really fear is themselves. They think it is I who scare them, but it is the dwarf within them, the ape-faced manlike being who sticks up its head from the depths of their souls.” Pär Lagerkvist
*Der Zwerg/ The Dwarf solo is awarded for the first prize in Gdansk Solo Dance Contest in Poland. Performed in A Corner in the World/13th Sharjah Biennial, İstanbul Moda Sahnesi, 20th Theatre Festival Dance Platform, Judson Memorial Church New York.
“The Dwarf, of Canan Yucel Pekicten from Turkey , similarly to “The River of her life”, is a short choreography obviously made to illustrate the particular music piece by means of movement. This time it is a classic vocal composition, with the pleasantly deep male voice in the background. Precise and focused movement of Turkish woman refers from time to time to the gymnastics, but most of time converting the movements into daily movements. The dancer consistently, plays with two props: with a pair of far too big shammy shoes for her and a blazing red apple. There is no spontaneous dance: instead of this we can watch precise and focus, deliberate, nonintrusive variety of movements.”[1]
“The Jury decided to reward authorial choreographies and their performers. As the the jury announced; for her ability to invite the audience to the dancer’s inner world, Canan Yücel Pekiçten from Turkey received the first prize. The Dwarf refers to motifs in Romanticism. The dancer differentiates the two characters by using two props: the pair of two big shoes and red apple. As dwarf movement phases are shorter and more hectic, as the queen, queen, are more smooth, flexible, even gymnastic. The last scene showing the death of the female character in the sea is shown in the very interesting way. The dancer takes the apple to her mouth forming the body in the bridge position leads toward the audience. As if she was turned inside out, she doesn’t move like a human being anymore, but more like an animal. In any case the apple in the dancers mouth visually reminds us the decoration of the wild boar broiled over the fire, which after all is the dead animal, a meat. The fruit can be also interpreted as a symbol of female sexuality, which with the moment of the death loses its value.” [2]
“Jury decided to reward as a first prize winner the Turkish artist Canan Yucel Pekicten. Canan presented highest physical proficiency of dance technique. And while playing with the red apple, the symbol of longing for love, she showed the playfulness.” [3]
[1]Mirosław Baran, http://www.e-teatr.pl/pl/artykuly/224399,druk.html
[2] Weronika Łucyk, http://www.taniecpolska.pl/krytyka/372
[3]Henryk Tronowicz, http://www.e-teatr.pl/pl/artykuly/224585,druk.html