A l'origine « Standing By » est une pièce courte commandée par la Rhodes University de Grahamstown (Afrique du Sud) à l'occasion de la semaine des droits de l'homme en 2011. En 2012, une résidence du Goethe Institut de Johannesburg  permet à la chorégraphe Athena Mazarakis d'en développer une version longue, immersive et interactive, qui sera présenter dans l'espace de GoetheonMain situé au coeur du quartier alternatif de Maboneng en février 2013. Utilisant des enregistrements audio et des projections vidéo, ce dispositif multimédia cherche à mettre les spectateurs en condition d'engagement viscéral avec les problèmes que le solo aborde.

« Standing By » – que l'on pourrait traduire par « prêt à parer », « se tenir prêt en renfort » – traite de la violence perpétrée envers les femmes, et particulièrement des « viols correctifs » contre les lesbiennes qui ont alors atteint un niveau record en Afrique du Sud.

Au cours d'un parcours déambulatoire, la chorégraphe s'appuie sur des témoignages de victimes de ces viols et des récits personnels sur la condition homosexuelle. Par le recours au texte, à des éléments multimédia interactifs, ainsi qu'à l'éloquence gestuelle, « Standing By » invite les spectateurs à s'interroger voire à se positionner : « "Standing By" questions whether we are simply standing by while gender-based violations occur all around us or whether we are on stand-by, ready to respond, to act. It asks whether we are in fact capable of response, whether we are response-able? » (A. Mazarakis, sur sa page Facebook)

Notes de la chorégraphe (en anglais)

We live in a country with the highest rape rate in the world.  A country in which the average South African woman has a higher chance of being raped than of finishing secondary school.  A country in which a woman is raped every 26 seconds.

Within this broader scourge of violence against women, the phenomenon of the ‘corrective rape' of lesbians has been steadily on the rise over recent years, with an estimated 10 new cases emerging each week.

These violations are happening all around us, all the time.  In our neighbourhoods, on our streets, on our doorsteps and in our homes.  And while there has been a recent peak in media coverage of the issue, triggered by the gang rape of a young girl in Soweto and the video recording of the incident that went viral, putting a spotlight on the issue, these atrocities continue incessantly.

Rather than focus on the broad continuum of patriarchal attitudes and behaviour that allow for these atrocities to occur, this work seeks to question one's own position, where one stands in relation to the issue.  Through a weaving together of a series of performed vignettes, Standing By seeks to create a space in which both the audience and the performer can be viscerally present with the realities of these violations.  In so doing it hopes to wake us out of our de-sensitized state and asks if we are simply standing by while a war is being waged on women's bodies, or if we are on stand-by, and ready to re-ACT!

Séquences identifiables de la pièce (non désignées par l'artiste)

1)    Interrogation
2)    Zone de guerre
3)    Le public se tient prêt
4)    L'appartement
5)    Déclarations
6)    Duo avec le public
7)    Dénomination des victimes

Plus d'informations

Tamy Ballantine, http://www.artlink.co.za, 5 juillet 2012

Moira de Swardt, « Athena Mazarakis is standing by. Are the rest of us ? », http://artscomments.wordpress.com, 18 février 2013

Dernière mise à jour : septembre 2013

Athena Mazarakis est née en 1973 à Bloemfontein, dans la province de l'Etat-Libre en Afrique du Sud.

Elle commence par pratiquer la danse classique, les claquettes et la danse moderne puis approfondit sa formation à la Rhodes University de Grahamstown dans la province du Cap-Oriental. En 1995, elle valide brillamment ses études théâtrales effectuées sous la direction de Gary Gordon et figure à ses côtés parmi les membres fondateurs du First Physical Theatre Company.

En 2010, elle soutient brillamment sa thèse à la Wits University en proposant l'autobiographique "Coming to" comme illustration pratique à sa thèse "Body of Knowledge: Interrogating Physical Intelligence and the translation of memory into motion in Coming To".

En tant que chorégraphe, elle est plus connue pour la création de solos, outre "Coming to", tels que l'installation interactive "Elev(i)ate", l'oeuvre scénique "Elev(i)ate 2" et la pièce contextuelle "Standing by". Dans ces travaux, Athena la relation du corps à la création digitale artistique live. Sa création "Elev'i)ate 2" lui vaut un Standard Bank Ovation Award d'argent en 2010.

Reconnue en Afrique du Sud et à l'échelle internationale, Athena collabore, s'implique et se produit pour d'autres compagnies sud-africaines majeures tels que The First Physical Theatre Company et The Forgotten Angle - Theatre Collaborative. Son activité internationale compte notamment une tournée dans six villes allemandes en 2011 comme assistante à la chorégraphie de Constanza Macras pour son travail "The Offside Rules". Elle est aussi l'une des trois chorégraphes à créer et présenter des créations in-situ à l'exposition Afropolis à Cologne en mars 2011. Plus récemment, sa collaboration avec l'interprète espagnole Hansel Nezza "Inter-Fear" a été présentée dans le programme principal du National Arts Festival.

Activité en cours

2012 – Present Education Officer at The Forgotten Angle Theatre Collaborative

2013- Restaging Attachements No 1-7 with Craig Morris, directed by Gerard Bester for the 2013 Aardklop Festival in Potchefstroom, South Africa, in September.

Pièces chorégraphiques

2012              Inter.Fear

Commissioned 30-minute work for Dance Umbrella 2012.  Created in collaboration with Hansel Nezza of Marabula Barcelona Berlin.

Commissioned full length work presented on the MAIN programme of the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, 2012.

2012              Standing By

Solo multi-media work developed into a full length work through a Residency at GoetheOnMain.

2011              Urban Fragments

Site-specific work with students of the Zentrum für Zeitgenössischen Tanz der Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln made as part of the Afropolis exhibition, Cologne, Germany.

2011              Standing By

Solo multi-media work COMMISSIONED by Rhodes University, Grahamstown, for Human Rights Week.

2011              Smoke and Mirrors

Full-length work choreographed for The Forgotten Angle Theatre Collaborative as choreographer in residence. Performed at the opening of the Wale Festival, Johannesburg.

2011              Flicker

Conceived, produced and co-created this full-length work for the Arena platform of the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, with subsequent programming on the 969 Festival, Johannesburg.

2010                          elev(i)ate and elev(i)ate2

Interactive dance installation presented at the 2010 FNB Dance Umbrella and Staged work presented at the NAF, Grahamstown, the 969 Festival, Johannesburg and the Out the Box Festival (2011), Cape Town.

2010              Everyday Falling

Duet choreographed for The First Physical Theatre Company, Grahamstown.

2010              Blow

Co-devised Physical Theatre work for the 969 Festival, Johannesburg.

2010              Animal Farm

Choreography for Sibikwa's Production of Animal Farm Directed by Phyllis Klotz

2007              Coming To

Full-length solo work including Interactive Digital Art.  Performed at the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, SA and The Nunnery, Johannesburg, SA.

2007              Touch

Full-length group work created for senior students of the Wits School of Arts.  Performed in Johannesburg, SA.

2005              In the spaces between bricks

20-minute Duet. Commissioned by the Philip Stein Young Choreographers Grant.  Performed at the FNB Dance Umbrella, Johannesburg, SA

2005              Just in Time

Full-length group work created for senior students of the Wits School of Arts.  Performed in Johannesburg, SA.

2004              Soma

Full-length group work created for senior students of the Wits School of Arts.  Performed in Johannesburg, SA.

2003              Tick Tock Bang

Trio performed at the FNB Dance Umbrella, Johannesburg, SA.

2003              Breaking News

Mime-theatre solo. Performed at My Big Fat Greek Festival, Durban, SA and at The Dance Factory, Johannesburg, SA.

2003              Beyond Words and the Big Red Lollipop

Full-length group work created for senior students of the Wits School of Arts.  Performed in Johannesburg, SA.

2002              Limb by Limb

Solo dance work performed at the FNB Dance Umbrella, Johannesburg, SA.

2000              my back to the bells

Solo work performed at the FNB Dance Umbrella, Johannesburg, SA, The Dance Umdudo, Grahamstown, SA & at My Big Fat Greek Festival, Durban, SA.

Enseignement

2010 Sessional staff member in the Dramatic Arts Division of the Wits School of Arts (WSOA), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.  Teaching Responsibilities: First quarter teaching of Physical Theatre IV and Masters Performance Laboratory.

2010 Leave-replacement teaching in the Drama Department of Rhodes University, Grahamstown.  Teaching Responsibilities: Last quarter teaching of Dance Repertory III, Choreography III and Honours Choreography.

2004 – 2007 Lecturer in the Dramatic Arts Division of the Wits School of Arts (WSOA), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.  Teaching Responsibilities: Movement Studies, Physical Theatre, Mime and Choreography.

1999 – 2003 Sessional Tutor in the Dramatic Arts Division of the WSOA, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.  Teaching areas: Voice, Physical Theatre and Movement Studies.

1998 Facilitator at The Voice Clinic, Saxonwold, Johannesburg.

1996 Tutor in the Rhodes University Drama Department, Grahamstown, SA. Teaching areas:  Voice and Movement studies.

Prix

Mazarakis was a founding member of The First Physical Theatre Company in Grahamstown South Africa under the Direction of Gary Gordon.

Silver Standard Bank Ovation Award (2010) for "elev(i)ate 2"

Kanna award (2007) for the most prestigious achievement in Dance Theatre for "Attachments nos 1 – 7"

Gauteng MEC Award (2006) for Most Outstanding Female dancer in a contemporary style for performance in the works "Petra" and "Attachments nos 1 – 6"

Philip Stein Young Choreographer's Grant award (2004) commissioning a new work – "in the spaces between bricks" (2005)

Dernière mise à jour : septembre 2013