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C̣̬̻̣̘̱̩͖̥̉͋̓̇̇͌̿͌͜͠͝Ų̛͎͕͉̝̟͎̣̪͌̎̽̀̎̅̈́̐͐ͅC̢͈̥̳̫͉͙̘̰̗͑̓̐̌͆̇̈̑̂̂Á̦̻̩̬̼̣̥̯̼̆̃̈́̔͗̊͒̂̚͜
SET DESIGNER / COSTUME DESIGNER / MEDIA ARTIST



TOCCATA
BULGARA
BALLET
BALLET PRODUCTION OF SOFIA OPERA AND BALLET
IDEA / CONCEPT / CHOREOGRAPHY > MILA ISKRENOVA [LEADING BULGARIAN CHOREOGRAPHER]
AFTER MUSIC BY DIMITAR NENOV AND VASSIL KAZANDJIEV [BULGARIAN CLASSICAL COMPOSERS]
SOFIA OPERA AND BALLET / SOFIA/
SEASON 2015 / 2016

ABOUT THE PROJECT
" The ballet performance of Sofia Opera and Mila Iskrenova's "TOCCATA BULGARA" offers a game of several major metaphors. The Hand - the Suitcase - the Road - the Departure - the Disappearance - the Revival. All of them have been played out against the backdrop of various frames of our national and ancestral memory (historical places, events and characters depicted by a very dynamic and original multimedia language) . The choreography develops main themes of our historical and spiritual conditioned environments: the patriarchal threshold of the family - the Bulgarian cult of beauty - the ideal of collective and personal freedom - the self-sacrifice.
Major figure in the show is the Suitcase - this contemporary ominous carrier of the Bulgarian to the Unknown. The Suitcase - the guide of our blind nation who crosses the red traffic semaphore through the crossroads of the world.
But this ever-expanding dance, this physical vortex, culminating increasingly by the brilliant choreography embodies most of all the panic emigration of Bulgarian nation, chased by its devastating present..."
Quote from the review of Nedyalko Slavov -
poet and playwright for
CULTURE - Leading Portal for Culture, Art and Society
" Mila Iskrenova gathered in a suitcase our ancestral memory
Choreographer Mila Iskrenova met the modern ballet with the classical one on stage at the Sofia Opera.
...
Black and white photos of gone long ago glorious men from the history of Bulgaria - hajduks, revolutionaries, intellectuals, as well as wedding couples in traditional folklore costumes appear as background during the show. Without claiming patriotic ideas, or for the so-modern recently return to the roots, "TOCCATA BULGARA" invites the spectator recalling his ancestors in a personal, intimate, family plan. "
NOVINAR, daily journal
"Extremely precise in its details, beautiful and exciting (clamping your throat of pleasure!) Spectacle that MUST NOT BE MISSED!"
Georgi Arnaudov - composer

PRODUCTION TEAM:
IDEA / CONCEPT / CHOREOGRAPHY > MILA ISKRENOVA
MUSIC > DIMITAR NENOV / VASSIL KAZANDJIEV
PART ONE: MUSIC BY VASSIL KAZANDJIEV:
"PICTURES FROM BULGARIA"/"DIVERTIMENTO"/"TOCCATA"
PART TWO: MUSIC BY DIMITAR NENOV:
"RHAPSODIC FANTASY"/ "REVERIE" / "YEARNING" / "TOCCATA"
DRAMATURGY CONSULTANT > MARIN BODAKOV
SET AND COSTUME DESIGN / MULTIMEDIA / INTERMEDIA SOUNDSCAPES >
TSVETA BOGDANOVA
PHOTOS > SVETOSLAV NIKOLOV / BNT SNAPSHOTS AND PERSONAL ARCHIVE
BALLET ETUDES FROM THE SHOW WERE PRESENTED AS PART OF THE OPENING PROGRAM AT THE AWARD CEREMONY OF IKAR NATIONAL ANNUAL THEATRE AWARDS - 2016. -IVAN VAZOV NATIONAL THEATER
FRAGMENTS OF THE SHOW ARE FILMED IN "TOUCHED" - DOCUMENTARY ABOUT MILA ISKRENOVA AND HER WORK,/ PART OF "SMART VILLAGE" SERIES OF PORTRAITS OF REMARKABLE BULGARIAN ARTISTS AND INTELLECTUALS / BULGARIAN NATIONAL TV / DIRECTOR MARIO KRASTEV
VISUAL MATERIAL


SET CHANGES INFRONT OF AUDIENCE
[BASIC KINETIC OF MAIN ACTS /
SCREEN MOVEMENT AND POSITIONS]
INNER LIGHT PROPOSAL
[CENTRAL PLATFORM AND CENTRAL SCREEN]
SELECTED PHOTO DOCUMENTATION / EXCERPTS FROM THE PROJECTED MEDIA ▾
PHOTOS OF REHEARSALS AND PRÈMIERE > ©SVETOSLAV NIKOLOV /
BULGARIAN NATIONAL TELEVISION DOCUMENTARY SNAPSHOTS AND PERSONAL ARCHIVE
▴MEDIA MAPPING VISUALS / CLICK ON WHITE ARROW
▾DOCUMENTARY PHOTOS
[OPENING NIGHT+REHEARSALS]


▴ SNAPSHOT FROM TOCCATA BULGARA IN NATIONAL OPERA AND BALLET - SOFIA / BULGARIAN NATIONAL TV DOCUMENTARY ABOUT MILA ISKRENOVA , DIR. MARIO KRASTEV

▴ ACT ONE / OPENING BACKGROUND PROJECTION SNAPSHOT >
© PERSONAL ARCHIVE

▴ ACT ONE / BACKGROUND PROJECTION SNAPSHOT > © PERSONAL ARCHIVE

▴ ACT ONE / DEPARTURE ETUDE / REHEARSAL PHOTO > © SVETOSLAV NIKOLOV
▴MEDIA MAPPING VISUALS
▾DOCUMENTARY PHOTOS [REHEARSALS]
▴MEDIA MAPPING VISUAL > DOCUMENTARY PORTRAITS OF VINTAGE BULGARIAN WEDDING COUPLES , MEN, WOMEN, FAMILIES IN TRADITIONAL GARBS [XIXTH -EARLY XXTH CENTURY]
⚑ VISUAL MATERIAL IN THIS MOTION ANIMATION IS COLLECTED FROM BULGARIAN HISTORY ENCYCLOPEDIA
[© BULGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE] AND WWW.LOSTBULGARIA.COM

▴▾ ACT ONE / LOVE COUPLES ETUDE / REHEARSAL PHOTOS >
© SVETOSLAV NIKOLOV


▴ ACT ONE / BULGARIAN WOMEN ETUDES /
PHOTOS [REHEARSALS AND PRÈMIERE] > © SVETOSLAV NIKOLOV
▴VISUALS OF PROJECTED MEDIA / DETAILS / MAPPING ZONES
© PERSONAL ARCHIVE
▴MEDIA VISUALS > BACKGROUND PROJECTION OF COLLECTED TITLES FROM BULGARIAN REVIVAL PRESS [XIXTH -EARLY XXTH CENTURY]
.TITLES:BAGPIPE/ALARM/HEADWAY/NATIONALITY/ACTION/DRUM/APPEAL/FLASH/INDEPENDENCE/WHIRPOOL/ILLUMINATION/ELAN/RISE/FREEDOM/FLAG/DOWN/HOPE/SCOPE/RISE/HERALD/TRUTH/BULGARIAN VOICE/CENTURY/BALKAN
⚑ VISUAL MATERIAL IN THIS MOTION ANIMATION IS COLLECTED FROM BULGARIAN HISTORY ENCYCLOPEDIA [© BULGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE]


▴ ACT ONE / BULGARIAN MEN ETUDES /
PHOTOS [REHEARSALS AND PRÈMIERE] > © SVETOSLAV NIKOLOV

▴ ACT ONE / BULGARIAN MEN ETUDES /
PHOTOS [PRÈMIERE] > © SVETOSLAV NIKOLOV
▴MEDIA VISUALS > HISTORICAL PICTURES OF BULGARIAN HAJDUKS AND REVOLUTIONARYS [FIGHTERS VERSE THE OTTOMAN SLAVERY]
⚑ VISUAL MATERIAL IN THIS MOTION ANIMATION IS COLLECTED FROM BULGARIAN HISTORY ENCYCLOPEDIA
[© BULGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE] AND WWW.LOSTBULGARIA.COM
PART TWO▼
▴DEPARTURING COUPLES ETUDES
DIGITAL PAINTING > ©TSVETA BOGDANOVA
PHOTOS > ©SVETOSLAV NIKOLOV


▴ ACT FIVE / DEPARTURING COUPLES ETUDES /
PHOTO [PRÈMIERE] > © SVETOSLAV NIKOLOV


▴▾ SECOND ACT
PHOTOS [ REHEARSALS AND PRÈMIERE] > © SVETOSLAV NIKOLOV AND BNT DOCUMENTARY SNAPSHOTS
▴ SECOND ACT MEDIA PROJECTIONS / DETAILS / MAPPING VISUALS
©PERSONAL ARCHIVE


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