MATTA MATTA 2.0

MATTA MATTA 2.0 is an interactive dance performance in sports halls for children and grown-ups.

3 dancers initiate a game with 2 large soft floors and 16 small sport mats in which all visitors are placed in situations involving safety, risk and cooperation.

The small mats serve as seating and structure the space, but also change shape and role during the show. They become a labyrinth, with dangerously tumbling walls, a tower, a sea of boats, around an island, a shield to hide behind, a bed always dreamed of. The children are busy in many ways (re)placing these in collaboration with the dancers. In these collaborations, the audience is moved and also becomes part of the landscape of the performance. The situation in which the audience is divided into two camps by a wall contrasts with a balancing duet in which everyone sits close to the edge of the large mat. The sound comes from two hidden speakers, and alternates between playful rhythms and beats as well as sounds of gym mats being pulled and dropped. MATTA MATTA 2.0 needs no words!

Child safety is a timeless but topical issue in today’s society. The internet and the smartphone offer the possibility to always know where the child is, to follow him or her and to limit information and communication with others. On the other hand, children are more accessible to outside information, as well as strangers, and rely more often on technology than on their physical knowledge and capabilities.

In theatre for young audiences, questions are also raised about the need to increase the supervision of parents and guardians. How free can a child be to play and try things out? How free can theatre still be?

With MATTA MATTA 2.0, Jasper Džuki Jelen and Mojra Vogelnik Škerlj look for a physical and tangible way to question these tendencies. The assumption is that children do not have a direct message to adults’ concerns and should not be confronted with them in a concrete form. Letting go of the traditional role and attitude of the audience creates an unpredictable situation. MATTA MATTA 2.0 is a practical exercise in dealing with new situations and strangers, an exploration of courage, physical skills, cooperation and self-confidence.