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SHE SITS ON A CHAIR, 2021
Performance, 20 minutes
The average life expectancy in Latvia is slightly less than 75 years of age. These years are made up of 27,320 days when we get up in the morning, use the toilet, wash, get dressed, eat and go about our business, only to do it all again in reverse order in the evening. These are monotonous activities that we pay attention to only when, for some reason, it is difficult to perform them.
The performance 'She Sits on a Chair' was inspired by the World Health Organisation's care dependency measure which examines six activities of daily living - bathing, dressing, eating, getting in/out of bed, using the toilet, and walking across a room. A person's ability to perform these activities is assessed in order to determine whether care is needed.
In the performance, former Latvian National Opera and Riga Operetta Theatre ballet artists perform these everyday activities, turning them into short performances. It is both a celebration of these actions and an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between movement and ageing, which is especially fierce in the world of ballet since a dancer’s career is a relatively short one.
The performance was made in collaboration with choreographer Rūdolfs Gediņš and ballet artists Inese Čača, Maruta Dinga, Janīna Nurka and Dzidra Treija.
The performance was commissioned by the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art for Survival Kit 12. It took place at Eduards Smiļģis Theater Museum in Riga.
