Once upon a time country

Once upon a time country by Impure Company/Hooman Sharifi started with Hooman Sharifi’s Demonstration for nothing during the festival In Transit in Berlin June 2009.

In front of Haus der Kulturen der Welt he was standing still for two hours in an attempt to move,  trying to find answers to all his questions to the complex situation in Iran after the election the same year. Without finding it.

Information

(Objekt ID 8158)
Object type Production
Premiere June 14, 2009
Produced by Impure Company/Hooman Sharifi
Coproducers BIT Teatergarasjen
Audience Adults, Youth
Keywords Multidisciplinary, Contemporary dance, Performance, Dance, Site spesific performance, Video
Running period June 14, 2009  

Requirements to venue

Blackout Yes
More

Once upon a time country by Hooman Sharifi was about the political situation in Iran as of today.

"Where is my vote? Where is their vote? This is not the first time that votes are gone. Where have all the other votes gone? What? Have I forgotten? Have I forgotten how these people are? What they did, do and can do? Who is this green person? He is a little bit better than the other one, so what do I shout, screech, yell, and cry for? For something a little bit better? I know who is wrong, but who is right?"

These questions still haunted Sharifi and the project Once upon a time country lived on. Because foreign journalists were shut out of Iran, the Iranian peoples struggling for life has not being shown in the media. But the people in Iran have found a solution: they make videos and publish them on YouTube. In Once upon a time country these videos and pictures were projected, representing the struggle of the people together with the dancers’ bodies.

The choreography for Once upon a time country was made by Hooman Sharifi with the performers Loan Ha, Peder Horgen, Matthew William Smith, Rikke Baert, Martin Lervik & Valerie Lanciaux.

In Bergen Impure Company collaborated with an Iranian artist as a declaration of support from Hooman Sharifi and Impure Company to the Iranian people.

In Paris Once upon a time country was presented during an exhibition called We are countless in the gallery 59 Rivoli. It was a declaration of support for the people of Iran and their fight against suppression and gagging of Freedom of Speech.

In Prague Impure Company wants to examine the process of seeing: What exists in seeing? How are our eyes and our imaginations in contact? What is it we don’t see?

Once upon a time country by Impure Company/Hooman Sharifi was supported by the Norwegian Ministry for Foreign Affairs/MFA (travel grant/performing arts).

Source:

BIT Teatergarasjen, bit-teatergarasjen.no, 02.11.2010, http://www.bit-teatergarasjen.no/article/367

Contributors (7)
Name Role
Hooman Sharifi – Choreography
Rikke Baewert – Performer
Loan Thanh Ha – Performer
Peder Horgen – Performer
Valerié Lanciaux – Performer
Martin Lervik – Performer
Matthew William Smith – Performer
Festivals (3)
Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space June 16, 2011
Oktoberdans October 28, 2010
In Transit June 14, 2009