Following the streaming of the performance in Rome, The ongoing multimedia Dance Rehearsal Project, continues its life in Belgrade. SHOOT ME! Is a performance in which the artist behind the camera shoots the improvised dance rehearsal by volunteers who responded to the open call.

As the title suggests, Dance Rehearsal, SHOOT ME transforms the rehearsal into a main event. Small, improvised stage and a ballet tutu are all the elements provided by the author to the participating volunteers. The volunteers, just like the real ballet dancers, are supposed to stand in line before entering the stage, which makes them feel the anxiety, fear and competitiveness as the ballet dancers would feel at that particular moment. The overall impression is of the real piece not of the one that was actually never written. But unlike the anxiety after the long preparation of the part, the volunteers, acting as performers in the piece that has never been written, are trying to look their best in the photograph. There is no actual performance, just striking a pose. What is expected from the volunteers is to try and interpret a classical ballet moment as they would like to see it.

“Marta Jovanovic’s bodies in representation are free in many ways. They are free from conventions, canons of beauty, gender roles stereotypes, and fashion dictates. Hers is a difficult task: to liberate her models from impossibly rigorous standards of both classical dance and fashion (and fashion-y) photography. Marta starts from a democratic, all-inclusive stance: everybody deserves to be represented. Marta’s subjects never seem treated exploitatively. Rather, these representations have a goal of subject’s, and, consequently, viewer’s empowerment. There is certain camaraderie between the artist, her subjects, and her viewers. It is the artist who invites us all not to care about expectations and standards of excellence, but to enjoy ourselves in performance – by posing as ballerinas in tutus, and also. Marta focuses on the genre of portraiture and the concept beauty in contemporary photography.” Jovana Stokic

OPEN CALL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayk1dhqN1Gs

PEOPLE WANTED for a major ART PROJECT taking place in Rome, Belgrade and New York City. We are looking for men and women of all ages, sexes, nationalities, skin colors, backgrounds.

REQUIREMENTS: You must be a HUGE character that is OUTGOING, UNIQUE, ENERGETIC, OPINIONATED, LOUD and PROUD.

You are invited to pose for the artist at you frees interpretation of classical ballet. You are going to be given an improvised ballet tutu as the only prop, the rest of the outfit is up to your creativity. You will also be provided a small improvised stage for a several minutes that the photo shot lasts. Make up and a quick hairdressing service will be provided for you in order to achieve the best look. Besides being open to the public, the performance/photo shoot will be transmitted live to the artist’s web site www.m-art-a.net.

Hair: Danilo Mataruga
Make up: Milica Jevtic Kozmara

Photo shoot is taking place on July 19th 2010 at 7 pm (if you are participating, please come at least one hour in advance) at the premises of the O3ONE, Andricev venac 12.

Please e-mail us at studiomartajovanovic@gmail.com to confirm your presence and to receive further instructions. Also, if you have any questions, we will be happy to answer them.

“The precedent of this performance is a series of photographs entitled Fuck Art Let’s Dance, shot in Belgrade, Rome, New York City and Brussels in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Shootings of those photographs were so exiting and an event in itself that together with the curator Jovana Stokic, who had an idea to transform the backstage into the main event, we decided to shoot live and to also, by using new internet technologies, video transmit this event between New York City’s Lincoln Centre, where the main event will take place, to the venues around the world that would like to host it for that moment in time. This event, like any other performance is ephemeral, like a talk show or a football game, and even if repeated it will never be the same, so by transmitting it, I am trying to prolong it’s short life and have the emotion travel across the globe. This mix of classical ballet with highly glossy, fashion photography, Big Brother philosophy and new media support is a real challenge for me to deal with my own voyage as an artist by traveling from the classical cannons to the super contemporary challenges of beauty, art and society”. Marta Jovanovic