Quim Bigas: "We know that Montserrat is beautiful and we don't ask ourselves why"

BarcelonaChoreographer Quim Bigas (Pese a Mar, 1984) understands dance as the ideal meeting place between dancers and spectators to build and share collectively. This maxim has guided many of his pieces, among which stand out Molar (2015), The list (2017) and Hippos, which in 2018 won the award for best street arts premiere at FiraTàrrega. Bigas premiere From this Thursday at the Mercat de les Flors at a time of transition for the facility, which has called for a competition for the new management after nine years headed by Àngels Margarit.

The piece is called From But the name refers to dancing. How did you get here?

— We have gone through many different titles until we arrived at FromIt has that double meaning that refers to the idea of different times that pass in the act of dancing, of making dance. And, in addition, I really like seeing it written, with the broken c and the accent on the A.

What role does the audience play this time?

— The audience is asked why it is important for them to feel part of the show. They do not put their bodies on stage, but there is the idea of meeting through thought. The piece focuses on the concept of unison, understood as a series of movements that we make and agree to make together. This action can open up the possibility of thinking about the way we meet, how we face the idea of agreeing on something.

How it relates From with the other works you have done?

— There is a very intuitive part and a part in which I have been influenced by what I have already done. My work has always been very focused on the idea of finding ourselves, feeling part of something. From It is the continuation of this interest. In addition, at times I have used methodologies from previous projects that have been useful. In the end, the burden of an artist has a lot to do with reformulation and getting in tune with what you have done.

Why is it so difficult to attract audiences to dance?

— We are used to consuming very specific stories and narratives, based on the idea of beginning, middle and end, and also on the idea of drama and conflict. This is what drives people's curiosity. Dance is not necessarily a place from which conflict is raised. The type of culture we consume has a very direct idea of what it is and the purpose it has for the public, whereas in dance there is not such a direct and unidirectional relationship.

Is it easier with a child audience?

— When we were doing Hippos On the street, a girl and her grandmother came over to look at her. The grandmother said to her: "Come on, nothing is happening here." And the girl replied: "But what else do you want? They are dancing hippos." There is also that need to want to understand everything. For me, it is more important that art opens up questions for us, that it generates a conversation between us. The different experiences between us are what give value to a garment. When we look at Montserrat we know that it is beautiful and we do not ask ourselves why. What is the purpose of a mountain or a landscape? They are simply there and they move us. Dance also points in that direction.

You have premiered shows in squares and on rooftops. Is taking dance out of institutionalized spaces a way of provoking spectators?

— Sometimes I feel that theatre is sacred, that it is difficult for it to go beyond creating a space of comfort. Simply put, one day I did a piece on a rooftop and it was beautiful, so I decided to do more rooftops. Much of my experience comes from street art, from wanting to find other places for the work. Dance does not only belong in a theatre or a studio, breaking away from these ideas does me good and changes the textures of my way of creating.

Why did you make dance your profession?

— I have always had a very specific attraction to dance. I come from an amateur theatre background, which was a space for exploration and experimentation for me. There I began to have a very genuine curiosity about the idea of creating. But when I began professional training, I realised that the image of a dancer is closely linked to an aesthetic regime and body skills that I do not have. I had to face rejection, a rejection that everyone feels and that we should review, especially the way in which students are told no. I went to the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance and there a range of possibilities opened up for me.

Has there ever been a time when you thought about throwing in the towel?

— Often. Finding myself with all these institutions that reject more than they accept, because they receive much more than they ask for, is very complex. Before leaving Barcelona I considered quitting for a matter of mental health. Then it happened to me that I was constantly training and developing myself hoping for professionalization, but in many cases it never comes, or it comes late, or it comes early and ends soon. At one point I was betting everything on dance and I needed to let it go.

But you came back.

— I had to give myself time and make acceptance more equal. The difficult thing about this career is that we are constantly fighting for someone to accept us. Always, somewhere, someone has to say yes to us in order to continue. This makes it very complex, also emotionally. My luck is that when I was gaining distance, things changed. Now I appreciate everything from another place and I live with the peace of mind that to do dance I don't need anyone to say yes to me, because dance is with me.