Two things that usually get me moving - if you haven’t danced at all and if you are willing to become a unique dancer. And I love to get these two under the same roof.
A body that has never danced hides unbelievably beautiful, pure, and raw movements inside itself - without engraved patterns, with its single way of moving bringing true tears into my/audience’s eyes. Their motivation can be: to connect with their body, to self-express, to gain confidence, to learn to dance.
On the other hand I love to see the passion that someone has to become a dancer. I’m eager to help she/he on his/her own way to undress all the habits that do not allow him/her to develop a unique voice. To encourage he/she on the road on transforming into a wild animalistic yet very sensible creature that sets the stage on fire.
“Based on True Stories” is the 10th contemporary dance piece created and directed by Sophie in Hungary with her company, FootNotes Dance Co., marking the 10th anniversary of the company’s journey.
"Let us scream into the stillness of the night, a cry for art, for community, for resilience, for emotions. We need each other!!Based upon true stories…No soul left untouched." - Sophie Barbarics
Producer, Director: Sophie Barbarics
Creators, Choreographers: Brezó Dorottya, Csiki Marietta Petra, Horánszky Zsuzsanna, Kovács-Kubus Kíra, Bozsányi Liliána
Dancers: 50 dancers of the FootNotes Dance Co.
Music edits: Sütő Tomi
Set and decorÉ Borbála Komesz and the participants
Photo credits: Zsofia Kovats
first in Canada
WHIRRR is the first Canadian creation of Sophie Barbarics — a bold and interactive exploration of what happens when dancers, musicians, and the audience co-create something alive, raw, and real. This experimental performance blends contemporary dance, live music, and poetry to explore the tension and beauty between individuality and collectivity — asking how we can be truly ourselves while still belonging to something greater.
The piece was the result of a 6-week workshop process — where many individual stories intertwine coming alive on stage, and where community meets creation.
Both workshops were designed to help participants get closer to contemporary dance through experiencing a creative process and bring it closer to the wider community as well.
Sophie about the piece: "Whirr for me is a research, a discovery - of using my patterns in a new environment - letting them go - finding new pathways. Being curious about the new scene I’ve just dropped into. The joy of teaching and connecting with these beautiful people and spreading the idea in the meanwhile that we still can belong to a group and not losing the spices that make us unrepeatable individuality."
Choreographer, Director: Sophie Barbarics
Dancers: Sophie Barbarics & participants of the 6-week Nelson & Trail workshops
Original live music: Jani Lakatos, Christian Power, Lori Frederick, and Mitch Wilkey
Live poetry by local writer: Almeda Glenn Miller
Photo credits: GOFF
-crumbles of hope-
Monocellular—the human. Insignificant.
Yet, with the last remnants of strength, they cling to one another, leaping or pressing forward,
searching for the continuation of the beginning in the depths below. Only a few make it down—those who hold tight to each other,
pushing through the darkness.
The same darkness I fear so much that I lock it away in a box,
hiding it deep in the closet.But maybe, if you just hold my hand...
Amidst it all, special lights emerge—
their glow illuminating the darkness,
bringing countless stories to the surface.
The human, like plankton, no longer merely adrift by the shore,
but shaped by the depth itself.
The depth softens its edges, nurturing the lights and spirits that accompany us.
With them, even in fear,
I find connection— and through that connection, I feel alive.
There is hope—not just for me,
but for the Earth, for the water, for the sky above.
Hope for all of us,
and for our shared existence.
Choreographer, Director: Sophie Barbarics
The Creators: Dorottya Brezó, Petra Marietta Csiki, Kíra Kubus and the performers
Set and decor: Borbála Komesz
Texts: Sophie Barbarics, Lia Kajari, and the performers
Sponsors: Pergőtűz Egyesület, Workshop Foundation
The invisible tension that we don't talk about.
The latent toxicity lurking through our veins.
Our hearts can't contain it much longer,
With every heartbeat, anger surges to the surface.
Cracks appear. Whether we wish it or not,
They seep through our hardened bodies;
Through our gestures, our stuttering toddles, through our petty conflicts.
See? This is who we are,
Hunted savages, deer caught in the headlights of your car…
The foolish, helpless savages amidst the glittering eyes of crocodiles…
The mother spiders, who shatter the bones of their offsprings with their care…The singing doves, who try to salvage every situation…
We are the pure honesty buried under peacock feathers.
We want to hit, cry or bleat… all at once.
Then, we paddle on,
We touch, we hug and we hold.
Yes, if needed, we'll carry you to the other side in our teeth…Yes, we'll carry you to the other side in our teeth…
Performers: Sophie Barbarics, Dorottya Brezó, Petra Marietta Csiki, Kíra Kubus
Contributing Graphic artist: Borbála Komesz
Contributing writer : Lia Kajári
All was lost…
We lifted our eyes, surveying the crumbling world that surrounded us. Everything that once seemed so certain had swiftly dissolved into the distant echoes of the past. Starving, grimy, and ravaged, we are scouring our pockets for things that were once valuable to us - our keys, credit cards, money…- only to cast them aside into the heap of uselessness. Here and now, none of them hold any significance anymore. I have no idea how many of us are there, we banded into tribes, that is our only chance for survival. Come nightfall, I hide beneath my blanket stitched from the remnants of my torn clothes, pressing the photograph to my chest that I cannot look at without tearing up and I quietly start chanting…
-the water in me, wants to break free-the water in me, I embrace it,
-the fire in me, I am energy,
-the fire in me, wants to burn high,
-the Earth within me, I stick to what’s mine,
-the Earth within me carries me on,
-the air within me, I’m on my way,
-the air within me, I am changing,
-I feel my body, I’m existing.
-Stars above me, I am one and only.
As I fall asleep, they stand watch, guarding. I know they’ll protect me. Our awareness must heighten; I detect scents, sights, and sensations more keenly than I have in years. I can feel instinctively when a stranger is approaching our refuge. Though they may be few, their presence triggers a strange familiarity that courses through me when our eyes meet. In an instant, our stories became one and our purpose became the same. Surviving every…single…day.
But amidst the wreckage of everything we've lost, what is it that sustains us?The mourning, the rituals, the stories, the connection, the fact that we do not let go of our dreams. The distinctions that once divided us have transformed into virtues, serving as valuable lessons.
“What keeps us alive is that within a tribe everyone is a fighter in their own unique way. Ultimately, every human fate is marked by both minor and major apocalypses. It is not just the external world that surrounds us; our personal tragedies also consume us from within. Yet, it is the belief that amidst the searing fire, there exists a cycle of renewal, essential for progress and survival. The strength of our community anchors us, reminding us to release, to endure, and to begin anew."
The Creator: Sophie Barbarics and the performers
Set and decor: Borbála Komesz
Music editor: Zsolt Torma
Video: Gábor Szabó
Sponsors: Pergőtűz Egyesület, Workshop Foundation
Where is this noise coming from- darting about in a frenzy, the walls closing in on me with an eerie resemblance.
Absence, I miss you, I miss it…
I attempt to fill the void with indulgence—overeating, smoking, drinking, purchasing frivolously...
Lost in the labyrinth of misguided paths, jungles, trails of thought, concrete until somehow, it starts to turn green, it starts to flourish.
Yet it hurts. It’s sitting on my chest, I fight it, but it claws at me nonetheless.It wraps me up.
Finally. Look, there it sits in silence, unmoving. It doesn’t speak, not even when I ask, it’s just sitting in solitude, fixating on the vacant corridor as if engaged in silent conversation with it.
I thought when I got there, raging, it would scream back at me.
But it is just sitting in solemn silence.
I only manage to whisper:
"I have evolved alongside you—I will stand by you. I’ll wait until you recognize me and I’ll be here when you want to talk…
Slowly, the sobering gaze acknowledges my presence, pulling me in for a hug that brings relief and reassurance.
As I inhale I know that your sadness is now present within me.
As I exhale I promise to take care of you!
Performers: dancers of FootNotes Dance Company
The Creators: Sophie Barbarics, Kíra Kubus, and the participants
Set and decor: Borbála Komesz
Music editor: Zsolt Torma
Sponsors: Pergőtűz Egyesület
-Covid piece-
Here I stand in this buzzing place that weighs me down with its noise and chaos.
You're here too, yet communication evades us. Each of us carries thoughts to share, but the usual channels of understanding seem blocked.
Hold on... Let's stay silent for a minute...
Together, let's tune into the cacophony of the world beyond these walls.
Come, let's escape this maze of metal and noise.
We'll seek out a pathway of connection untouched by spoken words.
Chinomku… the contours of your soul start to reveal themselves.It's in the pauses that the rhythm truly takes shape.
The Creator, Choreographer: Sophie Barbarics, Kíra Kubus
Set and decor: Borbála Komesz
We've lost sight of each other. The details have faded, the contours became blurry, we are unable to connect.
To truly see someone is a gift that allows me to understand your reality and make a connection with you.
I want to witness you in all your complexity…with your nuances and imperfections, with your limitations and barriers, with your flaws and your anger…
My entire focus is on you. I want to explore you…
To understand your needs, your fears, your mistakes, your sorrow.I aspire to be capable…to gently caress your soul and heal the dark corners of your existence.
Wouldn't you want to be seen this way?
Being seen is simply an invitation to be part of each others' lives.
Performers: dancers of FootNotes DCO and Basic Dance Studio
The Creators: Sophie Barbarics, Bence Szabó
Set and decor: Borbála Komesz
Music editor: Zsolt Torma
Sponsors: Pergőtűz Egyesület, Workshop Foundation
Sponsors: Pergőtűz Egyesület
It's like standing on the edge of the cliff in a ripped suit, buffeted by the ice-cold wind.
A possibility to break out of the chaotic inner turmoil that resides within us all- an inner jungle that is filled with weird habits, untraceable thoughts, and with the buried fears that haunt us.It's a prison that was built unconsciously, that we call reality…
Then, we step off the cliff and survive the falling.
And in the silence we encounter a reality stripped bare of emotions and thoughts.
The collaborative performance of amateur dancers of FootNotes Dance Company and Basic Dance Studio is a fusion of vibrant creativity and studio expertise. This partnership creates a bridge between diverse souls, weaving together a tapestry of multicoloured expression.
Performers: amateur dancers of FootNotes DCO and Basic Dance Studio, and invited professional dancers
The Creators: Sophie Barbarics, Bence Szabó
Set and decor: Borbála Komesz
Sponsors: Pergőtűz Egyesület, Workshop Foundation
-the garden of
hidden desires-
What's that sensation pulsing in your chest?
For me, it's an inner dance—a soulful movement that sways beyond my control. It doesn't like when I forget about my desires, about my little secret dream.
It's flowing. Breaking free.
Then look how it's floating, vibrating, it's glowing!It recalls and forgets at the same time. It remembers the touching that was once there, but isn't here anymore.
Yet it also reminds me of the warmth of those embraces.
But it also forgets. It forgets about the sadness, about the tiny scars.It's courageous—undaunted by life's challenges. It guides me toward finding my new self, navigating through a myriad of emotions and fears, like the trembling of collected fragments of myself.
This is the wavering of 80 souls.
Come step into our secret garden!Let's kill together the idle silence!
The collaborative performance of amateur dancers of FootNotes Dance Company and Basic Dance Studio is a fusion of vibrant creativity and studio expertise. This partnership creates a bridge between diverse souls, between university student, multi worker, doctor, lawyer, dentist, hairdresser, dance artist, and many other.
The Creators: Sophie Barbarics, Bence Szabó
Assistant: Kíra Kubus
Photos, video: Kolos Keve
Set and decor: Borbála Komesz
Costumes: Anett Molnár
Sponsors: Pergőtűz Egyesület, SÍN, Workshop Foundation
-what we hide-
Diversium is constantly seeking how similarities and differences can work and live together. How they can create a community, where there is no connection. Receptive and cognitive communication of minds and bodies.
It's made of conversations and nonverbal encounters.
It doesn't tell a story, its goal is not to inform, it only tries to shed light on the myriad opportunities in the differences. It's trying to scratch your surface…
Who am I anyway?
Am I defined by everything that emanates from within me, or am I just lost?
Am I defined by everything that clings to me? Or did I take them away?
Too many questions, yet there's no one to answer.
I am constantly grappling with the fragments of myself, piecing them together, and ultimately melting into them.
I am someone unique, yet simultaneously, I am an echo of all of you—a reflection of a shard from a shattered mirror.
I embody a fragment of a torn soul, yearning to reunite with the whole.
I had a vision,
Where you and I weren't, just a blurry center from a big mess.
It was a tale of silhouettes emerging from the mist, of vibrant swirls of color scattered across the ground.
There was lightning, throbbing, and then an enormous light.
In the end it's you and me again.
Down here, it's the dance of wounded souls, a forceful wriggling.
Up there, there's a freeing euphoria, happiness, harmony.
Below there's sorrow.and disruption.
Above, there's humbleness, a flowing energy.
And in between, you await, finally discovering Yourself amidst the two contrasts.
Performers: amateur dancers of FootNotes Dance Co. and Basic Dance Studio, and invited professional dance artists
The Creators, Choreographers: Sophie Barbarics, Bence Szabó
Photos, video: Kolos Kevei
Sponsors: Pergőtűz Egyesület, SÍN, Workshop Foundation
zsofibarbarics@gmail.com
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