What is left of our roots when we choose to move far away? What is left of our country-side when we live in the city? What is left of our childhood, of our plans and big hopes when we have grown up? Created in 2014, this solo dance by Simon Mayer has been performed all over the world. His tender, amused and critical view of his childhood on an Austrian farm never fails to delight, because it is very funny, ironic and sincere, and because it is a work that is generous and detached in which the dancer immerses us in the folklore and customs of rural Austria. One gets a sense of the challenge of growing up in this environment weighted with traditions and nature, and the difficulty of freeing oneself from it. How does one construct an identity under such a weight? He examines how we deal with our roots, our aspirations, our acts of rebellion and our obstacles. It is accurate, cruel and highly amusing: the mirror he holds in front of us is uncompromising. There are traditional dances, a microphone, a chain saw, a tree trunk, a naked body in love with freedom, a violin and a yodels (Tyrolean singing). And there is also a bench, the wooden bench known as a sunbeng in High Austrian dialect, that is placed in front of the house and where one can sit in the sun. 

simonmayer.at

Simon Mayer, performer/dancer, choreographer and musician, born in 1984 in Austria, studied at the Vienna State Opera Ballet School and the Performing Arts, Research and Training Studios (P.A.R.T.S) in Brussels and was member of the Vienna State Opera Ballet. In 2009, he founded the band ”Rising halfmoon“ as singer, guitarist and songwriter. As dancer/choreographer and musician he was involved in productions of Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker/ ROSAS (“The Song“), Wim Vandekeybus (“Frisking“) and Zita Swoon. His choreographic repertoire includes solos, duets and group pieces that have been performed internationally (o feather of lead; dancing with the soundhobbyist/Zita Swoon; Monkeymind and others). Simon was Artist in Residence at Theatre de LL in Brussels and is the artistic director of the festival “SPIEL“, which he started together with his brothers and the club m-arts.

Source: website of Simon Mayer

Since 2001, the National Center for Dance (CND) has been making recordings of its shows and educational programming and has created resources from these filmed performances (interviews, danced conferences, meetings with artists, demonstrations, major lessons, symposia specialized, thematic arrangements, etc.).