Nunc audite! A Lecture in Dance and Theology

Cesc Gelabert, Amador Vega,
Valère Novarina i Laurence Mayor

4 d'octubre del 2024

Premiere of the dance and theology lesson "Nunc audite!", in which choreographer Cesc Gelabert gives bodily form and physical movement to a litany of definitions of God compiled by Swiss playwright Valère Novarina, recited by the original performer, Laurence Mayor. The lesson includes a philosophical commentary by Amador Vega and concludes with a conversation between Gelabert, Novarina, and Vega.

The tradition of reciting and meditating on the names of God transcends confessions and latitudes. Theologians and philosophers, both religious and atheist, have orbited and continue to circumnavigate around the impossible name, seeking meanings that always prove to be temporary and changing. The playwright Valère Novarina overlays definitions explored by ancient and modern thinkers, authors, and artists, remarkably diverse among them. Choreographer and dancer Cesc Gelabert interprets the definitions recited by actress Laurence Mayor and, through the language of the body, gives space and form to the text, which changes with each definition of God. The dance of Gelabert is responded to by philosopher Amador Vega. The lecture concludes with a conversation between Gelabert, Novarina, and Vega, about the lecture.

October 4th, 2024

Dipòsit de les Aigües, Campus de la Ciutadella (UPF)

Cesc Gelabert

Dancer, choreographer, and director, pioneer of contemporary dance in Catalonia. Trained in London, New York, and Barcelona, he founded his dance company with Lydia Azzopardi in 1985. Among his most famous productions are Requiem (Verdi) and Belmonte, milestones in the history of dance in Spain, as well as Im Goldenen Schnitt, Foot-ball, Escrito en el aire, and Nom. His international collaborations include the Hebbel am Ufer theater in Berlin, the Gulbenkian Ballet, the Tuscany Ballet, and the Tanztheater of the Komische Oper Berlin. He directs projects and pedagogical workshops aimed at self-knowledge.

Amador Vega

Professor of Aesthetics and Art Theory at Pompeu Fabra University, and director of the Center for Aesthetics, Religion, and Contemporary Culture (CERCCA). His areas of interest include the theological turn of European thought in the 20th century, European mysticism and negative theology, and their legacy in modern art and literature, as well as new forms of experimental pedagogy (performance philosophy). He has curated the exhibitions "The Thinking Machine: Ramon Llull and the ars combinatoria" (2016, CCCB) and "Dia-Logos: Ramon Llull and the ars combinatoria" (2018, ZKM Karlsruhe; 2019, EPFL, Lausanne). His latest book is Tentativas sobre el vacío: ensayos de estética y religión (Fragmenta, 2022).

Valère Novarina

Swiss writer, playwright, painter, and photographer. His work aims to make words tangible and visible through their deployment in space. He is the author of plays (L'Atelier volant, Vous qui habitez le temps, L'Opérette imaginaire, L'Acte inconnu, L'Animal du temps), unclassifiable texts, multi-voiced monologues, staged poetry (Le Babil des classes dangereuses, Le Drame de la vie, Le Discours aux animaux, La Chair de l'homme, Le Vrai Sang), and theoretical works inspired by the stage and actors (Pendant la matière, Devant la parole, L'Envers de l'esprit, La Quatrième Personne du singulier).

Laurence Mayor

Swiss actress, trained at the École supérieure d’art dramatique of the Théâtre National de Strasbourg. She has performed in over 40 plays, including eight times in works by Valère Novarina (1986, Le Drame de la vie; 1989, Vous qui habitez le temps; 1990, Entrée perpétuelle; 1995, La Chair de l’homme; 1996, Le Repas; 1998, L’Opérette imaginaire; 2000, L’Origine rouge; 2022, Le Jeu des ombres). She has also directed the plays Ange des peupliers by Jean-Pierre Milovanoff (1996), Le Chemin de Damas by August Strindberg (2005), and Le Balto by Sarah Ulysse (2021).