Katarína Zagorski: Parsifal’s Procession / Kilometre Dance
On Saturday from 1:30pm a procession with a bride will be passing through the Pohoda Festival. If you find out why, you will save the kingdom. Based on an ancient story, Parsifal‘s Procession was created in Limerick in 2005. This year its author Katarína Zagorski will lead it through Pohoda. At 2:40pm the procession will be joined by Kilometre Dance at NAY tanečný dom, performed at Pohoda for the fourth time by Radoslav Piovarči and for the first time by Tibor Trulik. Parsifal’s Procession and Kilometre Dance are accompanied by Samuel Kmotorka and Adam Druga on the drums.
30. June 2022
- Concept: Katarína Zagorski
- Performed by: Radoslav Piovarči, Tibor Trulik, Samuel Kmotorka, Adam Druga, Greta Grega and Katarína Zagorski
- Bride‘s dress: Jana Kuzmová
- Graphic design: Tereza Maco/Pohoda Festival
- Production: Katarína Zagorski and Michal Kaščák/Pohoda Festival
Recently I‘ve read the first written version of the holy grail‘s history, which is probably Parsifal. One day Parsifal came to the Fisher King’s castle, the king was paralysed, all the kingdom was in rot, women couldn’t give birth, trees couldn’t give fruits, cows milk: infertility, total absence of fertility. Parsifal, sitting by the dinner table, suddenly noticed a wedding procession with a bride carrying some unusual vessel. The procession passed the hall, went out, came back after some time; and again the same. Parsifal didn’t ask anything, the atmosphere in the castle seemed pretty strange, just like there would be something uncertain in the air. In the morning, after he woke up, he noticed that the castle was empty. He supposed that everybody may have gone for a hunt. He sat on his horse and went on his way. He entered a forest where he met a young girl with her lover’s dead body in her arms, and he finally said: „What’s going on in this kingdom?“ – „Did you see the procession?“ – „Yes.“ – „With a woman carrying a vessel?“ – „Yes.“ – „And did you ask?“ – And Parsifal replied: „No, I didn’t.“
„You didn’t ask, and because you didn’t, women can’t give birth, trees can’t give fruits, cows milk and the king is paralysed. You didn’t ask.“
- Freely translated from Jerzy Grotowski’s Theatre and Ritual
- Photo Sabine Maier, Martin Šveda, Jakub Sipos, archive