BPM—BEATS PER MILLENNIUM

solo performance | 40 minutes | 2024
DESCRIPTION

BPM – Beats per Millennium explores the evolution of Romania’s clubbing scene through the lens of its social and cultural practices over recent decades. By reflecting on the rhythmic and physical histories of club crowds, the performance delves into key periods of social transformation, portraying the club as a space of free expression where music and dance served as acts of resistance against an oppressive socio-political context.

BPM highlights the significance of these spaces as places where social differences fade, bodies move to diverse rhythms and spontaneous movements, as well as a space where the sense of belonging to a community emerges. For the choreographer, the dance floor becomes a meeting ground, a place for exchanging experiences and breaking down barriers. It offers a space where individual identity can be redefined and communities take shape.

The movement journey delves into body atmospheres shaped by the stories of twelve people who experienced Romania’s party and clubbing scenes from 1960 to 2024. Through the movement, the performer brings these stories to life by embodying the shapes of popular dance styles from different eras. These shapes are deconstructed and reimagined, blending with the rhythms and beats of the original music, resulting into a dynamic, hybrid expression of club culture through the body.

BPM explores the significance of dance as a form of free expression and its evolving role within the clubbing culture over the years.

PROCESS

Club culture is both a social and cultural phenomenon where music and dance create a shared language, bridging class and economic differences to nurture human connection and empathy. The defining element of clubbing is not the physical space but the sound and the people, which transforms any environment into a dynamic and fluid experience.

In Romania, the club scene has seen profound changes from the 1960s to the present day. Under communism, state-run discos provided limited venues for young people to socialize, often with restricted music choices and a controlled atmosphere. By the late 1980s and 1990s, Western influences introduced pop and electronic music, gradually reshaping nightlife. Private and independent clubs emerged as alternatives, offering freedom and creativity that state-run spaces lacked.

In post-communist Romania, discos became platforms for political expression and cultural experimentation. While electronic music and nightlife were once marginalized, they gained acceptance in the 1990s, evolving into vibrant underground scenes and spaces for exploring local identity within a global cultural framework. The act of dancing, whether rooted in collective joy or personal expression, embodies a duality—bringing people together in unison while also allowing individuals to stand out and find belonging in a shared community.

There was often a pogo happening. Because yes, in breakbeat and drum’n’bass, they would do a pogo, which was very, very well organized. Even though it might seem very violent—and it is to some extent, quite a lot—it was understood that if anyone fell, the others would quickly help them get back up.

CRISTI KUSZAI, 37

It’s a kind of relaxation… I mean, I think for anyone, it’s a joy to sing and dance, if you know how to do it. It takes away all the heaviness from your body. There’s something incredible about singing and dancing. It was a special pleasure for everyone back then. I don’t think it’s any different now.

MISS LENUȚA, 72

For me, the club was incredibly important, and I believe it meant a lot to many people in the queer community. It was a space where you could simply be yourself without needing to explain or justify who you are.

PAULA DUNKER, 42

The parties I prefer to attend now, I really enjoy the fact that dancing is more of an individual experience. There are fewer people dancing in groups or as pairs, and even when it happens, it’s not at the same level as it used to be.

BIANCA PĂSĂREA, 34

TEAM

choreography and performance Simona Dabija

original music Vlaicu Golcea

dramaturgical support Andreea Novac

researchers Ionuț Dulămiță, Bogdan Iancu

producer Simona Deaconescu

light design Marius Costache, Dragoș Mărgineanu

project assistant Georgia Elza Măciuceanu

based on research into body atmospheres within Eastern European clubbing culture and shaped by the stories of twelve people who danced through the shifting landscapes of Romania between 1960 and 2024: Ciprian State, Valeriu Cătălineanu, Ioan Big, Paul Breazu, Paula Dunker, Sorin Lupașcu, Bianca Păsărea, Florin Dumitrescu, Daria Cristea, Cristi Kuszai, Cosima Opârțan

 

DATES

February 9, 2025 — CNDB-The National Center for Dance in Bucharest, RO

November 1, 2024 — Iridescent Festival, CNDB-The National Center for Dance in Bucharest, RO

 

PARTNERS AND SPONSORS

Part of the project RHYTHMS AND CROWDS, a cultural project produced by the Tangaj Collective Association and supported by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund of Romania — AFCN. The project does not necessarily represent the position of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the project’s content or how the project results can be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the beneficiary of the financing.

Partners: The National Center for Dance in Bucharest, Expirat Club