APHASIADISIAC / First produced 2008

Conception et choreography Ted Stoffer

The title: "Aphasiadisiac" is a compound of aphasia (the inability to express or understand thought in spoken or written words) and aphrodisiac (arousing the mood of sexual excitement).
It is what I believe most people suffer from when they find themselves speechless or speak in long sentences that have no meaning, add unnecessary words, or even create new words while they are in the grips of love. For example, an aphasiadisiac may say, “You know that smoodle pinkered and that I want to get him round and take care of her like you want before", but if he means "You look great and I want you right now.”, is up to interpretation.
This piece is about the politics of love – the construction and deconstruction of relationships via the efforts of understanding and communicating when the explicit and individual nature of speech and the implicit and universal nature of movement is in question. It presents a recourse of illusions, seductions, aggressions, retaliations and reconciliations that are perhaps familiar to all relationships.

Trilogy – part three
"Aphasiadisiac" is the last instalment of a trilogy inspired by the conditions and transmutable nature of communication.
The first, "I Enigma", dealt with the beginnings of personal communication. The difficulties and procedures of finding a language we call our own – one not borrowed from society, parental upbringing or peer groups.
The second, "Dear Elizabeth,…" was inspired by two completely different events. The death of my grandmother when I was 3 months old and the events surrounding the first election of president George W. Bush.
In each situation I asked myself, what has been communicated. What remains of someone once they are gone? Where are the controls or barriers of public and  private ownership?
Is love public? Is your vote public? What about intimacy? How will we be remembered? How is anyone ever remembered?
The impetus for the final episode, "Aphasiadisiac", is inspired by memories of my childhood and attempts at relationships: the love, disappointment, understanding, denial, acceptance, loss and re-discovery of self.

Music
The music blends Slavic melodies with bossa nova rhythms and mixes drum cadences with brass dialogue. It is composed by and played by the cast. Songs were arranged by Sam Serruys and Ladislav Soukup.

Ted Stoffer, August 2008

Credits

Concept et chorégraphie : Ted Stoffer

Pièce créée et jouée par : Kristýna Lhotáková, Mieke De Groote, Pieterjan Vervondel, Ted Stoffer, Yvan Auzely - Scénographie : Annette Kurz - Dramaturgie : Ladislav Soukup - Costumes : Isabelle Lhoas - Assistance costumes : Frédéric Denis - Assistance répétitions : Sayaka Kaiwa - Lumières : Kurt Lefevre - Conseil musical : Ladislav Soukup, Sam Serruys - Soundscapes : Sam Serruys

Direction de production et de tournée : Valerie Desmet, Merel Vercoutere

Coproduction : Pallas Theatre - Elliniki Theamaton Production company (Athene), TorinoDanza, Sadler's Wells (London), Théâtre les Tanneurs (Bruxelles)
Avec le soutien de : la Ville de Gand, la Province de la Flandre-Orientale, les Autorités Flamandes

Remerciements : Koen Augustijnen

production Les Ballets C. de la B. , Maison de la Danse date du document vidéo 2008 réalisation vidéo Charles Picq 

Durée de l'oeuvre 1h10

Update : January 2012

Born in 1970, Indiana (USA)

Ted Stoffer has danced for Scapino Ballet, Rambert Dance Company, Sasha Waltz & Guests and les ballets C de la B. He lived and worked in the Netherlands and the U.K., forming Aphasia Dance Company in 1997. He has produced four works for the company ranging from video registrations and interactive audience performance installations to straight forward dance productions. His latest production, "Rencontres des Imbeciles", for his own company, Aphasia is still touring. In 2011, he is choreographing three productions in higher educational institutes in Germany and for Luk Perceval's, MacBeth in Hamburg. In 2012, he cretaed the piece "A Scattered State of Silence".
Ted Stoffer is a recipient of a Jerwood Award for Young Choreographers and has held several choreographer research positions. He has been commissioned by Norrdans (S), and Ballet Roto (RD).
He was movement and choreographer's assistant to Koen Augustijnen of les ballets C de la B and Said Gharbi and Ali Salmi of Les Ballets du Grand Maghreb.
He has taught regularly for Ultima Vez, Charleroi Danse, ImpulsTanz Festival, Sasha Waltz & Guests and additionally for: DV8, O Vertigo, CNDC Montpellier and Paris, Cirque-est Montreal, Re-Action Tokyo, P.A.R.T.S., and has conducted workshops in Korea, Sweden, Amsterdam, London, Barcelona, Athens, Bologna and Koln. He now resides in Belgium.

Sources: Aphasia Dance Company ; Les Ballets C. de la B. 's website

En savoir plus

aphasiadance.com