Report of the Tallinn TREFF festival

 
The Tallinn TREFF festival took place from 24.-27.05.2012. The main objective of the festival TREFF is to introduce the magnificent world of performing arts in its full diversity. Tallinn TREFF Festival is all about breaking borders between different art forms and West and East.
The festival offers a wide variety of performances, including dance, drama, puppet theatre, performance art, visual theatre, music, art. The festival takes place on the streets and in the venues of Tallinn Old Town.
 
The Hungarian Institute in Tallinn, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland and the Institut Francais joined their forces and enlightened the festival with amazing performances from Hungary, Poland and France. The Institut Francais presented three performances: „GO!“  by Polina Borisova, „Homs Fums“ by Compagnie Ecart and „Musical Notes“ by La Compagnie des Quidams.
 
The Embassy of the Republic of Poland presented three performances and two screenings of Polish animations: „Freier Tanz“,  „Masks“ and „Strindberg“ by Białystok Puppetry Faculty of A. Zelwerowicz State Theatre Academy in Warsaw and „Contemporary Perls of Polish animation Screening I and II“ by Polish School of Animations. Hungarian Institute in Tallinn presented three pantomime performances by Gábor Dvorák’s Pantomime Theatre.
 
Performance „GO!“ (France)  by Polina Borisova  tells about the loneliness of those who travel in memories.  Polina Borisova graduated the St. Petersburg State Theatre Art Academy, department of Puppet Theatre, on speciality „puppets making and stage design”.
 
„Homs Fums“ (France) are three curious characters of the Compangnie Ecart. Three human puppet masks inspired by a comic strip. In raincoats and wellington boots, they blend with the crowd and wander in the streets.
 
„Musical notes“ (France) are three quirky black-and-white characters on stilts who walk around the streets. They approach to the members of audience and whisper musical secrets into people’s ears. They spread different melodies from their strange musical instruments and begin to dance.
 
„Freier Tanz“ (Poland) - inspiration for the performance came from a story of the great German dancer Mary Wigman, creator of an expressive dance style called Ausdruckstanz. Wigman collaborated with the nazi government and performed at the opening ceremony of the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. The new, expressive way of dancing, also called as Freier Tanz (‘Free Dance’) was formed in the 1920ies as the manifest of freedom and individuality.
 
„Masks“ (Poland) is a street performance in which the students play with masks. It’s a
compilation of couple of etudes, practically without words and with music.
 
„Strindberg“ (Poland) is a small theatrical piece which has its source in the heritage of the great August Strindberg. Caricatured characters draw the spectators into the world of absurdity and black humour, telling a story about a family intrigue, studying human’s transformation from a victim to an executioner.
 
„Lets play pantomime“ (Hungary) is an interactive play without text. Pantomime artist Gábor Dvorák teaches the audience how to use pantomime to portrait different characters, invisible items and beings. The audience learns together by performing a comical pantomime where they laugh at human stupidity in fun scenes.

„Contemporary Perls of Polish animation Screening I and II“ by Polish School of Animations presented the following animations: Inside out“/“Wywijas“ (2008, Andrzej Jobczyk), „Chick“/“Laska’“(2008, Michał Socha), Millhaven (2009, Bartek Kulas), „Who would have thought?“/ „Kto by pomyślał?’“(2009, Ewa Borysewicz), „Once there was a king“/“Był Sobie Król’“(2010, Tytus Majerski), “Gallery“/“Galeria’“ (2010, Robert Proch), „The good, the beauty and the truth“/“Dobro, piękno, prawda“ (2011, Balbina Bruszewska), „Sleepincord“/“Snępowina’“(2011, Marta Pajek), „We will leave this place together“/“Razem stąd odejdziemy’“(2011, Paulina Bobrycz-Rogala), „Ichthys“ (2005, Marek Skrobecki), „The breakfast“/ „Śniadanie’“(2006,  Izabela Plucińska), „The age of stone“/“Wiek kamienia’“ (2007, Marta Skrocka), „American dream“/“Amerykański sen’“ (2007, Jakub Wroński), Sicilian Flea“/‘Sycylijska Pchła“ (2008, Marcin Giżycki), „Danny Boy“ (2010, Marek Skrobecki), „Two steps behind...“/“Dwa kroki za…’“(2010, Paulina Majda), „Shivering Trunks“/“Drżące Trąby’“(2010, Natalia Brożyńska), „Underlife“ (2010, Jarosław Konopka), „Ladder“/“Oczko’“ (2011, Eliza Płócieniak-Alvarez)