About the theatre

Inzhest the physical theatre

The Physical Theatre "InZhest"-

the oldest and so far, unfortunately, only in Belarus independent art project, more than 30 years of steadily working towards modern pantomime, plastic Theatre (physical theatre), as well as for the first time in Belarus! -in the direction of street theater, site specific performance, dance, Butoh (Butoh dance).

Established in Minsk in 1980 year students of Institute of culture led by Vyacheslav Inozemtsev, up to the year 2001-the pantomime Theatre-Studio "Gesture".
They has participated in many international projects and festivals in Belarus, Russia and Europe.
The initiator and organizer of festivals plastic theatres in Minsk

– "Blazan" 1987-89,
– "X-Tradition" 2001-2002,
– PlaStforma 2013, 2014, 2015

The Physical Theatre «InZhest»(till 2001 - "Zhest"( “the Gesture” in Russian) “Жест") was founded in 1980 year students of Minsk Institute of culture Glory Inozemcevym, Galina Eremina, Tatiana Tsurko, Sergey Švecom, Sergey Masko, a student from Bulgaria, Ivan Minčevym and others.

Since that time more than 15 performances were presented to the audience. Every new perform¬ance turned out to be a new stage (as if at school) in mastering the art of the physical theatre. Having made a start from the classical mime "Kaleidoscope" 1980, "Ways and walls" (premiere May 18, 1981, our year-birthday!) we came to a carnival, buffo theatre (comedia del'arte "The cheerful soul" (1982) "Adventures of a Brave Soldier Shveik" (1983).
Unfortunately, "Shveik" was staged only two times and then banned by the authorities of the Institute of Culture as a great number of "political mistakes" had been found out...
Then there was: a study of clownery in performances "Drops" 1986 g. "Not funny" 1987; plastic improvisation and martial arts of the Orient-in "The game without rules" (1988);
a series of improvisations and performances of the type "hèppenning" on the streets, in parks, in different buildings; Phantasmagoria in the style of "sots art"- "Still waters ..." 1990. a synthesis of theatrical and plastic traditions of East and West-tragikomediâh "Traditional Ryukyu Island cuisine" 1993. "Secret Rendezvous" 1995.

Thus, step by step the creative principals and special preferences of the theatre "Zhest" were formed. In general they can be presented in the following way:

  • • we stage the plays only what we like irrespective of fluctuations of interests of audi¬ence and authorities;
  • • we are not restricted by literary, drama, genre and stylistic frames;
  • • body is primary and it is the most sufficient value what we posses;
  • • people should be always surprised and amazed. Your excessive confidence can be really harmful in comprehending of a sur¬rounding world;
  • • grotesque, buffo, carnival, archaic, ritual and primary the¬atrical forms as well as modern synthetic art, improvisation and various forms of psychophysical training are included into the sphere our interests.

Since 1995, actors Theatre "Gesture" develop original training system "Dancing Animals".

In 1998, on the basis of this training was born spectacle "REVERSIO-I" (I part).
"REVERSIO" in Latin is "return" breakout process, rotation, movement in a circle. In this title is the key to understanding the plot of the play (if at all you can talk about the plot in relation to performances "Gesture").

Theatre "GESTURE" has toured and participated in international theatre festivals and joint projects of Belarus, Kiev, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Riga, Odessa, Tyumen, Novosibirsk, as well as in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Austria, Romania, Slovakia, organized festivals in Minsk pantomime "BLAZAN" in 1987 and 1989, festivals of plastic theaters x-tradition "in 2001 and 2002, respectively, the International Theatre Festival" OPEN FORMAT "(Minsk, 2003), Butoh-dance projects with the theater" TATOÈBA "(Germany-Japan) in 1999 and the" SU-EN Butoh company» (Sweden) in 2001.

Since 1995, the GEST Theater has had the opportunity to get acquainted with the technique of BUTOH DANCE at the Yumiko Yoshioka Workshop in Germany and since then has been using this technique and style in various joint projects: "OstWest" (1998, Bonn, Germany), "Ex... it!99" (1999, Germany, Poland), "Things-time-theatre" (1999, Netherlands), performance festival "Navinki 1999 and 2000" (Minsk), "Festival sztuki bialoruskiej" (2000, Poznan, Poland), "Winter and Summer camp" with SU-EN Butoh Company (2001, Sweden – Belarus), "Art Session" (2001, Vitebsk), "Karagod" (2002, Gomel), "Resonant Wave" (Berlin, 2002) and others.

The Film "Genius Loci". Director Galina Adamovich:

Vyacheslav Foreigners since November 2001, participates in international Butoh-project "TEN PEN Chii (natural disaster, Japanese) with a Japanese Butoh dancer-Yumiko Yoshioka and German art-designer Joachim Mangerom-performances" TEST LABOR "," ALPHA "," MINUS "KETSUI", and "Interdisciplinary Workshop Project», etc.

In February 2000 the year "Zhest" actors and the music band "Plato", with the participation of the young spectator Theatre took place first in the style of Butoh dance performance -
Butoh-action "Yolka U" ("Christmas Tree At")

May 27, 2001 year "Gesture" celebrated its 20-year anniversary of the new performance «Dk Dance». Since then we have a title - "InZhest" (Other-Gesture)

The new generation of «InZhest» - the young people 20-30 years, trained at the Studio by direction of Vyacheslav Inozemtsev. Set wishing to study in the Studio happens every year in the fall. (see. «News» «Workshop»)

From the press of different years:

"Theatre "InZhest "- a phenomenon in the Belarusian theater art unusual. For this is the only team in the capital, which can be called truly experimental. The performances of the theater are made up of a diverse palette of symbols, metaphors and subtexts. Theatre without words attracts not only original directorial, stage design finds and true. The truth about our time, about ourselves "

"For the past 30 years have to ingest in one form or another to deal with a variety of bureaucratic and financial difficulties, to create a new language of theatrical gesture -" Another gesture. "

"InZhest offers his particular vision of the crossroads of cultures, which is possibly Belarus. Their theatrical influence eclectic: from ancient Chinese philosophy and Japanese Butoh dance to comedy del'arte, Dada and Beckett's theater of the absurd. But they're doing something new. In contrast to the rest of the contemporary art of Belarus, Inzhest very persistent in his expression dark and offers something more. For them the body - is the center of concentration of pain, but also a source of hope "

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