Stepping onto the stage is an inherently courageous move. Performing in front of hundreds of spectators, with their eyes solely on you while you're at your most vulnerable, is an act deserving of praise in itself. Whether successful or not, the process that unfolds during that hour or two always intrigues me. Among all the performing arts I've worked in throughout my career, I've always placed a special focus on dance performance. I believe this form of art is the most demanding and consequently the most impressive, considering that besides the challenge mentioned above, performers carry with them, these artists also endure additional physical exertion, along with the imperative to remain maximally focused.

What happens when this demanding art is shifted from the traditional stage to an abstract space, a space that doesn't even have solid ground on which these artists can showcase their skills? This is a question I posed to myself when I set off to Vienna to work with Hungry Sharks dance company on a project titled "Zeitgeist". Even after just the first day of working with the dancers, I received an answer to my question.

The entire performance is based on underwater dance. With each carefully controlled breath, the dancers push the boundaries of the human body and its relationship with water. Each scene unveils the elegance of movement that these artists carry within themselves, and every motion is meticulously choreographed and perfectly synchronized with their rhythmic inhalations and exhalations. The entire project of this dance performance is an exceptional display of art, human determination, and the exploration of human limits within themselves, as well as the limits with nature.

The goal of this project is to present the raw emotions of the artists and their relentless pursuit of artistic expression, depicting the delicate balance between the strength and vulnerability of the performers who channel their deepest emotions through fluid movement, transcending the boundaries of the human body and embracing the pure beauty of the art they perform.

This project answers my previously posed question, showcasing dance as an inexhaustible niche of creativity where even physical limits can be erased, all for the sake of cultural stimulation of the audience and the inspiration of artists to conquer the unconquerable. Because even though the artists managed to hold their breath, the audience undoubtedly lost theirs.

30 minutes before the show, I made a portrait of the dancers.