LIFE IS A VALUE

Hello,

This time I would like to summarize my thoughts after the performance in Velenje.

It was the first in 2018. It was otherwise standard in terms of execution and organization itself. But somehow different, and I felt the difference myself. The difference that already in the evening drove me to pour my thoughts into a message, but the fatigue just overcame me.

With the Velenje performance, we continued where we left off in Logatec in 2017. We came to Velenje excited, because all the contacts with the people who helped us organize and promote our performance were extraordinary, friendly, diligent and somehow understood, for what a show it is.
The Velenje Hall is a beautiful ambience of culture. With 350 seats, it provides both the performers and the audience with a unique atmosphere to consume something that cannot be done outside in everyday life.

The new dancers were definitely the big news. This time, the main male role was exceptionally danced and portrayed by Matej Pritekelj. An inspiring dance, expressive, full, energetic. He showed exactly what he had been living since October, when he spent every day in the rehersal studio and worked diligently for this role. My tribute to Matej for the performance, commitment and heart and belonging that you express every day and dedicate to our dance group and our performance. It is necessary to know that Matej is a Latin dancer by profession, who sees his future on the international professional stage, but has currently shifted his focus to this performance. Also making their debut were Špela Dolinar, who summed up her enthusiasm in the words "I wish the show would never end, I would dance again and again..." and the young exceptional ballet dancer Luka Wernig, whose jumps, turns and youthful grills bring a new dimension to the stage.

Yesterday, more than 100 spectators gathered. And yesterday I had the opportunity to speak with many of them. Some familiar faces, some new.

Let me explain. Katja Dance Company gathered for this dance performance to relive the real sides of life, including the black packs that appear again and again. In our own way, we want to artistically express emotions, hopes, fear, love, the path to a better tomorrow, the sense of why to fight and thereby touch people's emotions and trigger thinking.

What the show is not? We are not a mainstream comedy, we are not a profit-oriented show group, we are not seekers of attention and media attractiveness, we are not an experimental group that would perform fictitiousness or absurd incomprehensibility. We are not what is obviously sold at much higher prices and fills the largest Slovenian halls. And we don't want to be either!

What are we? We are a colorful group of volunteers and dancers of various dance genres, different ages, professions, we are professors, we are consultants in the field of banking technology, we are medical staff, we are economists, dance teachers, athletes, schoolchildren and students. We are people who were inspired by the story of Katja Vidmar, who speaks in a special way about the story of a doctor who heals, but also suffers from cancer herself. And we feel with the story, with the performance in its entirety and its message value, which is confirmed to us again and again by the viewers.

Our performances are mainly attended by people who have survived cancer themselves or who have come into contact with it through their loved ones, or who are thinking PEOPLE WHO CARE. And they understand what we are communicating. And we also hear what they tell us, how they live. Sick people are stigmatized, they often feel that people avoid them. And we also hear, "I don't go to shows that don't make me laugh, because I have enough of the negative sides of life in everyday life." And as such, they don't even give us a chance to give them our different story.

Even in Velenje, many spectators left the hall with tears in their eyes, but full of emotions. Emotions that are indescribable, those real, authentic, human. Isn't that exactly why we look for challenges, events, situations in life that trigger our inner emotional self. It's worth living for, and that's why it's worth working on and hoping to convince people to come see us, despite our modest financial budget.

Our honorary patron is Mrs. Vlasta Nussdorfer - Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia. He comes to most shows and stands with his personality and function behind everything the show is. She is an extraordinary woman, a warm-hearted person who addresses the audience from the heart, touches the sick and their relatives, and instills trust in human relations and faith in the human dignity of everyone. Mrs. Vlasta lives her role in reality and we express our deep respect and gratitude to her.

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The performance begins with a short film about Anže, a boy who presents his treatment. Anže visited us with his family in Velenje. I don't know how to describe the moment when I finally met him in person. A tiny little creature, with the biggest heart I've ever seen. With a smile, with hope in his eyes, with kindness, tenderness, with the personality of a great man. Yesterday, he honored the dancers and the audience in Velenje with his visit and showed how such a small creature can proudly look at the world. Anže is the reason that proves that we work not only well, but also excellently. We work with our heart, we work for free, we do not doubt the quality of the show and we strive to make sure that every Slovene sees the show.

The doctor who treated Anžeta also came; together with her daughter, who drew pictures for Anže during his treatment. And Dr. also came. Lorna Zadravec Zaletel – president of the Little Knight institution. dr. Lorna represents the foundation in all its meaning - a new life after cancer treatment. And she is also the reason and confirmation that we made the right decision when we decided to give our help to the Little Knights. She is dedicated to her mission as a doctor when she has to make decisions every day and her decisions can mean life or death. And he is the driving force of the institution, which strives to make the lives of people who were simply unlucky easier.
Looking at every empty seat, my thought is "Too bad, we didn't make it", a missed opportunity for someone, someone who didn't know about us, or we weren't important enough for him, or we couldn't convince him to give us 10 EUR and 90 minutes of time.

As you know, the proceeds from the sold tickets are donated to the Little Knight Foundation, a foundation that helps young cancer survivors. On Saturday, 9-year-old Paraskeva, the niece of Little Knight Jova, summed up in a few words exactly what I feel myself. "I'm not a little knight, I didn't deserve this title and I don't want it either. But being a little knight also means being alive, surviving". After the performance, Jovo confided in us that he was a little disappointed by the reaction of the people. Likewise, the deputy mayor, who was visibly moved and also frank in her words, when she expressed her sincere wish that what was seen should be seen by a really wide crowd of people.

But we can't afford the jumbo posters that I encounter on my running routes, we can't afford television commercials that would reach the masses, we can't get mainstream shows on commercial television that would help spread our voice for some reason I don't understand. We cannot afford promotion agencies, as we are commercially unattractive because we are non-profit. We are not suitable for wider sponsorship, where art is not in line with the corporate strategy of most large and well-known Slovenian companies.

But we have YOU, OUR AUDIENCE, our reality, our biggest voice, and we ask you to tell us what you felt and what you saw and heard and experienced while watching the play Life is a Value. Tell them your reason for coming and maybe others will come too.

And we have our supporters who can only be one thing – kindhearted! Just how else could we interpret your support so that we can work more easily. Be proud to be part of this project!
Come to our shows and see for yourself that we justify your trust. Next time on Friday, February 9. In the morning we will perform two performances for the Ljubljana Secondary School of Health, and in the evening at 7 p.m. everyone else will also have the opportunity to see our performance Life is a Value. Follow us on our website and on our FB profile and become part of this story.