A workshop of “composition in real time” dedicated to theoretical and practical reflection on stage work. Developed by Portuguese choreographer Joao Fiadeiro, the method involves the rejection of the “creative” gesture, a concept according to which the function of the performer is to create. From the artist’s description: In this sense, performers are not creators of the events themselves, but only of the conditions that make them possible. This means the work of purifying impulses and reflexes. Following an impulse or limiting oneself to simple reactions to an earlier action is not synonymous with freedom. Acting on impulse stimulates freedom and authenticity, as if thought were an inalienable condition for being free and authentic. This is because what we want is contaminated with a lot of information that we are used to calling “our own” but which does not belong to us and does not define us. Being free means thinking, making choices and being responsible for them. 

Much of the work of the workshop will involve providing each participant with tools to help them gain the freedom to make informed choices. The tools of the real-time composition method are subjected to principles that enable the existence of a platform of understanding and communication, the development of some common language necessary for dialogue within a group of people (which I also include the viewer). It is important to keep in mind that this method is not an aesthetic one, because both the concepts used and the imagination produced depend on the participants, who will try to work out their own style and achieve freedom by following these principles.