Life stories, future wishes and memories: VITA

The community piece performed on June 30, 2023 in the Max Schlereth Hall was based on the vitae - the life stories and memories of older people and children's wishes for the future, which were performed scenically, musically and dancingly in a collage of experiences. The project VITA became a meeting point of shared creative and artistic research over several months at the Orff Institute of the Mozarteum University and the elementary school Aigen. 

It was great to work on concrete images - like the jungle bridge.
It was cool to see that we were assembling more and more and preparing together for the performance.
I liked the puzzling on the statues to other kids.
Anna picked us - I think that's really nice.
The jungle bridge could also change, I was allowed to implement my own ideas.
We puzzled together without touching the other.
A statue puzzle without touching - yet we belong together.
Letting go - relaxing - being carried.

- Children of class 2a

Concept

The starting point for the VITA theme were interview situations. People of all ages and a "weighty" part of the community had their say. 

• Did you experience some kind of poverty?
• What do you still want to learn/what did you want to learn as a child when you "grew up"?
• What can you do better than some others?
• What was the first lullaby you remember? What was your first life crisis?
• What changed in your life after that crisis? 

To these and more questions, a wide variety of answers and writing styles were sketched and then integrated into the collaborative process. From this, compositions and choreographies were formed: on the one hand, those created by the children to texts, emotions and their own pictures, on the other hand, the musical and dance compositions of the students, which were created especially to the stories of the children and the community. The community in turn enriched the work of the students and children with their stories, musical and performative additions. The constantly growing creative process moved back and forth to find itself in the end concretely and abstractly in texts, videos, songs, musical works and choreographies.

Cooperations

Another aspect of the overall constellation was the extended participation of the entire elementary school Aigen, their stories and "living portraits" were processed in a video. The individuals were portrayed individually in their peculiarities, in a quiet moment with the camera, in which beautiful, funny, sad moments or simply today's way to school should be remembered. A small moment from the many vites. Felix Schwendinger worked with all classes on a composed work by Ángela Tröndle - VITA. Bella, bella Vita. Beautiful, colorful life - I like you so much - and created their own little choreographies to it. These will be sung and danced by everyone together with the orchestra at the school performance. In the subject of visual design, costume elements were created that all the children of the elementary school wore...

The orchestra project gifted the community with live rehearsals at the Aigen Elementary School and the Orff Institute to explain the close relationship to the instruments - listening to the music aroused curiosity. Gerhard Laber enriched the musical rehearsals with his virtuoso sounds, the students practiced together with the children and showed their elaborated choreographies to the younger audience. With the children's imaginative interpretations, their inspiration was once again cranked up. In the second semester, Rebecca Naß actively participated as a choreographic co-creator in the two "stage classes" of the elementary school.

By & with:

• Participative concept, direction and artistic direction: Anna Josefine Holzer
• Conceptual realization and implementation of the participatory project format: Helge Musial, Anna Barbara Töller
• Musical direction: Àngela Tröndle 
• Music: Association Orchestra Project (Direction: Wolfgang Danzmayr)
• Percussion: Gerhard Laber 
• Organization (Elementary School Aigen): Veronika Danzmayr- Steinbach, Felix Schwendinger, Alexandra Eibner, Daniela Fletschberger, Rosa Besler and Brigitte Naprudnik
• Choreographic co-creation VS Aigen: Rebecca Naß 
• Performers: Pupils of the Volksschule Aigen and extended community, students of the Orff Institute and members of the Orchesterprojekt association. 
• Graphics and video: Griesbacher-Tafner

Works:

• Helen König: „Wie die Träumenden“
• Ángela Tröndle: „Vita“-Titelsong
• Felix Schwendinger: „Fensterblick“
• Ilona Seufert: „Emotionen“
• Ángela Tröndle: „Vom Fliegen“