Konzept / Choreographie: Frank Willens
Von und mit: Tomi Paasonen, Mariana Vieira und anderen
Bühne: Isa Melsheimer
Licht Design: Emese Csornai
Foto: Sven Hagolani
Gefördert durch: Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Europa, Berlin
In light of the impending human demise, destruction and, according to some accounts, mass extinction, Radiant Optimism explores positivity and the inherent positivity in the creative act as a force for reclaiming some semblance of autonomy and joy.
Seeking refuge in Noam Chomsky’s assertion that “Optimism is a strategy for making a better future,” the piece is a celebration and questioning of optimism, a perhaps naïve but hopeful belief in the possibility of life beyond the present prognosis of despair. It seeks to empower us as responsible citizens to stay positive, but also asks if this positivity is just another capitalist mechanism for maintaining the status quo, and if it is, if the value of optimism outweighs its side-effects. It considers the creative act, in this case the act of making dance, engages in it and commits to it as a deep indication of a belief in a shining future.