Trialogfem Journey takes you on a tour of the historic building of the former Universidad Laboral de Gijón like you’ve never seen it before. Six performances by different choreographers immerse you in the history, architecture, and magic of this unique building, still capable of revealing new dimensions through dance. An unusual character, the emotion of this ideal city, guides the audience on an unprecedented journey where each creator faces the challenge of adapting an iconic work from their repertoire.
The artists navigate the limitations of unconventional spaces while optimizing their expressive potential. The result is a fusion of universal artistic languages, as fleeting as it is beautiful.
The Corinthian Courtyard
The first stop is the Corinthian Courtyard, the entrance to this grand city designed by Luis Moya and inspired by the classical architecture of Vitruvius. Here, we meet the character who will guide us throughout our journey: the emotion of Ciudad Laboral. The emotion of Ciudad Laboral is an immaterial being, yet on this occasion, it presents itself to the audience by borrowing a human body—the figure of a dancer. The emotion of La Laboral has inhabited the city since its inception, accumulating the contrasting feelings that this gigantic building has evoked in all those who have encountered it, whether living within it or observing it from the outside.
Oryan Yohanan adapts a choreography in this space as a tribute to Pina Bausch, one of the great figures of contemporary dance, updating her language with the Jerusalem Ballet. “To Pina” is a classical reference in contemporary dance, connecting us with the architectural classicism of this monumental courtyard.
- The Plaza
Paved with granite slabs, flanked by large porticoes, and with the elliptical church as its architectural and power center, the Plaza measures 150 meters in length and 50 meters in width. For its design, Luis Moya was mainly inspired by St. Mark’s Square in Venice.
A rigid, overwhelming architecture… masculine in its convention and the perfect contrast for Dana Raz’s “Caballos de Agua.” The choreographer presents a piece where two creatures struggle under the pressure of meeting masculine ideals until they reveal themselves to be insolently fragile. - The Baroque Courtyard
In the Baroque Courtyard, Luis Moya extends his architecture beyond the limits of classicism, filling it with fantasy and exuberant theatricality: curved lines, sinuous patterns, ellipses, and spirals intertwine in a nearly indecipherable dance of forms.
Challenging limits is the only way to progress into the unknown, and Manuel Badás’ work reminds us that on this journey, human collaboration weaves an unparalleled safety net.
In “Resilience,” human fragility and baroque opulence connect in space to remind us that shared strength is the essence of human resistance. - The Theater
In the background, towering over the immense columns, stands the Theater—the life within life.
Luis Moya called it an auditorium, but its vocation has always been the same: to connect people with each other and with themselves—their knowledge, ideas, emotions, or fantasies. The Theater has witnessed the anxieties and dreams of each generation, but above all, the universal and timeless essence within them.
It is the first regional public theater in the community and one of the best in northern Spain in terms of spaces, capacity, and technology. It has more than 1,300 seats distributed across the main hall, boxes, and amphitheater, as well as rehearsal, meeting, and conference rooms.
La Laboral was born under the dream of a self-sufficient city. To achieve self-sufficiency, the needs of the body must be met, but so must those of the soul. That is why, in this City that wants everything, that thinks of everything, there will be kitchens for the stomach and theater for the soul.
That soul, born pure in humans, is modified with each experience that marks them.
As in the story of Ciudad Laboral itself, “La Mancha” by choreographer Clara Krief proposes that despite everything, we move forward; continue onward, learning to live with each mark, with each scar acquired. - The Gardens
The Gardens of La Laboral are an organic refuge to escape the overwhelming monumentality of the city. Although shaped by human action, nature here chooses its own forms, spreading over 12,500 square meters.
A space that reminds us that even in the most imposing and functional environments, there is room for beauty and introspection. The rehabilitation of the Gardens allowed the recovery of the original idea conceived by Javier de Winthuyssen, the chief gardener of the project.
Two rows of Andalusian-style ditches connect us with the essence of the Generalife Gardens of the Alhambra. Along the ditches, the garden paths align with the architecture of the buildings, creating a harmonious dialogue between nature and structure.
In this environment where the inert and the living, the permanent and the changing connect, Anna Ozerskaia invites us to enjoy the work titled “An illusion of Comming Back.”
A solo performance that reminds us that no place remains entirely unchanged. When we change, the space around us changes too, and what was once grand and warm may now feel narrow and cold. - The Pond
The pond, now dry, is the perfect place to let the imagination soar and fill the empty spaces, like the pond itself.
Perhaps in these gardens, the spectator will find the ideal environment to let their imagination take flight, avoiding the external stimuli that, day by day, prevent them from doing so.
Like all great creations, this city began with imagination. Imagining is the first step in creating. It allows us to see beyond reality and transform the world before us. Imagining makes us free, even if just for an instant.
In this serene and symbolic setting, we will hear the “Ecos de Eva.” Inspired by the figure of the first woman according to religious tradition, this contemporary dance piece, performed by the students of the sixth edition of Trialogfem, explores the resonances of femininity through time, the echoes of what has been and what continues to be.
TO PINA
JERUSALEM BALLET COMPANY
Choreography | Oryan Yohanan
Performers | Rachel Jacobson, Yoel Jaeger, Ariel May-Ron, Anael Zateikin, Alisa Zeldina, Avital Barsukov.
Music | Satin Birds- Abel Korzeniowski
CABALLOS DE AGUA
DANA RAZ DANCE PROJECTS
Choreography | Dana Raz
Performers | Leandro Martinez Manzo y Yaddiel Espinosa Carvajal
Music | Juan J. Ochoa
RESILIENCE
D- MOTION DANCE PROJECT
Choreography | Manuel Badás
Performers | Priscilla de la Cruz, Nuria Milla, Tamara Robellat, María Pruna y Dayana Nataly Burguez. .
Music | Manuel Badás
LA MANCHA
CLARA KRIEF
Choreography | Clara Krief
Performers | Marianne Brizou, Daniela Hernandez, Beatriz Avila y Clara Krief.
Music |L’empreinte, Pt. 1 – Audrey Ismaêl Oliver
– L’empreinte, Pt. 2 – Audrey Ismaêl Olive
AN ILLUSION OF COMMING BACK
ANNA ORZERSKAIA
Choreography | Anna Ozerskaia
Performer | Anna Ozerskaia
Music | Val Giamo
MUSIC: ECOS DE EVA
LABORATORIO DE TRIALOGFEM EXTENDED
Choreography | Surasi Lavalle, Manuel Badás, Oryan Yohanan & Dana Raz
Performers | Alumnos Trialogfem Extended 2024
Music | Alex Aller
Live music | Sara Muñiz
SCENOGRAPHY:
Luis Antonio Suárez