yesterday we arrived in Peggau, and today we went to the forest. In the morning with the forest-manager, in the afternoon on our own. we looked with the forest manager to the locations where we want to perform, and immediately there was a big action, cutting down some dead trees to open the space a little. he was sweating and we were carrying big logs: our first material to build something. In the afternoon we went back to the now more open space and did a kind of openingsritual to start to work  by telling each other everyone’s wishes for the coming three weeks in the forest. i closed my eyes and listened to the different content and voices in combination with the ever present sounds of the waterfall. After these monologues each of us did a small movement solo in front of the waterfall. We looked how everyone dealt with the task of being in dialogue with the environment. I was happy. Instead of getting into discussions  about what we want to tell the audience at the end, we first try to let our different bodies speak for themselves.

But to let it speak, first we must listen to how the body reacts to the environment, what kind of desires get awakened. How does the body get more alive or how does it get silenced in the forest. My body acted directly very sensual, more than i wanted to admit myself.

Looking at the others immediately a lot of information popped up about how things work outside. When you want to be perceived as in dialogue with the landscape, you must limit your own actions to give space to the movements and the silence of the environment itself. A shift of light, by suddenly having a cloud for the sun can only work as meaningful, when you give this unexpected change some space to be perceived. We must train ourselves in doing as less as possible. By being present, you can already intensify the perception of the landscape.

Today a friend wrote me a long email about the act of putting yourself on the path of zen : “he does nothing, yet there is nothing he does not do”.

Instead of putting all our energies in inventing nice situations and imagery for the audience, first we must discover what the forest does to us personally, and not only as performers, dancers, poets or singers. Although these are our personal media to communicate.

The forest- manager said that the forest works as a mirror, that you change by just doing nothing while sitting under a tree for a long time. We became friends, and he promised us to take us on a hunt, one for one, because his spot to look at the wild animals is very small.

Tomorrow i will take to sit under a tree. I will try to listen, look and smell and also observe what that does to me.  I have indeed a very nice profession. I want to make a dance for the trees as audience.