The Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in Art (ICMA) at the George Enescu National University of Arts, Iași (UNAGE Iași), organised, from 4 to 18 November 2022, three performances of the contemporary dance production entitled OPUS I–IV, directed and choreographed by Sandra Elizabeth Mavhima, at Teatrul Fain in Bacău, in partnership with the “George Apostu” Cultural Centre, in the Hall of Honour of the Palace of Culture in Iași, and at the “Ion Manu” Cultural Centre in Otopeni.

OPUS I–IV is a choreographic adaptation of Walter Ruttmann’s abstract animated short films of the same title, created between 1921 and 1925. Emblematic of the avant-garde period and the history of abstract art, these works are distinguished by the particular qualities of movement, rhythm, light, and composition inherent in the technical medium of animated film. Within an empty space defined by a few symbolic elements, choreographic actions unfold, inspired by the rhythm, dynamics, colour, and direction of movement of the images in the OPUS I–IV short films. Through gesture, sound, movement, and human interaction, the films’ abstract forms come to life through four choreographic portraits depicting four moments in a person’s life. The spectator is thus invited to enter the universe of forms through the imagination and allow themselves to be carried by them, discovering new meanings in their own life.

The performance was choreographed by Sandra Elizabeth Mavhima, Associate Choreographer at the Sibiu Ballet Theatre and creator of the short film Collective Identity, selected in 2012 by Essential Dance Film – TenduTV (USA) for a collection dedicated to some of the world’s most representative dance films. The music was composed by Bogdan Marinescu, with lighting design by Andrei Emilian and costumes by Anastasia Bannaia and Alexandru Floarea (Papucei.ro). The performers were Juan Cruz Luque, Bianca Secrieru, Alina Irina Postolache, Ilinca Agafiței, and Anna Van Hareen, students on the Choreography programme at the Faculty of Theatre of the George Enescu National University of Arts, Iași (UNAGE Iași).

The OPUS I–IV performance was developed within the framework of the artistic research project of the same title, directed by Associate Professor Sandra Elizabeth Mavhima. The project also included the launch of the book Limbajul coregrafic în filmul experimental (Choreographic Language in Experimental Film), a research study in the field of Cinematography and Media focusing on choreographic practices developed in Europe and the United States during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.