Maze Incense revolves around the idea of transparency and lack of pretence in one’s familiar, domestic surroundings, protected from the labels others might attribute. The show aims to approach with openness and acceptance the unresolved, forgotten or less comfortable areas of oneself, the emotions and behaviours of boredom, procrastinations, denials, failures, confusions, cowardice. It is a closed sphere open for personal dialogue with oneself, free of masquerades or artifice.

IOANA MONA POPOVICI (*1976) is a performance artist and choreographer. Her works have been presented at festivals and venues in Europe, USA, Mexico, South Korea, Israel and Brazil. In 2008, she received the Sazka Award for the performance Portrait in Prague. As a performer she collaborated with several choreographers and theatre directors such as Charles Linehan, Karine Ponties, Simon Vincenzi, Luis Guerra and others.

Her works can be described as a hybrid product, being inspired by things that often contradict each other, and generate – in the performance itself – a state of uncertainty and potential danger. / www.ioanamonapopovici.com

ANNA LÍNOVÁ (*1975) is a graduate of the eight-year Dance Conservatory, then the Department of Classical Dance Pedagogy of the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, and Infant Developmental Movement Education at the Body-Mind Centering School. The marked contrast in the content and especially in the approach to education at these schools significantly influenced her attitudes and contemplation about relationships of various kinds and, thus also her interpretation, teaching and personal practice.

As dancer and performer, she long worked mainly with Anka Sedlačková (SK), director Aňa Hlaváčová (SK) and choreographer Ioana M. Popovici (RO).

For over 25 years, she was dance teacher at various art schools in the Czech Republic, teaching children, students, teachers, and babies and their parents. She has long been engaged in movement somatic work with the general public.

With the group Ostružina, she created a participative sensory performance of Neenya for children aged 1–3 and their loved ones. The piece is also to her a possible format for respectful social coexistence.

Concept, direction: Ioana Mona Popovici
Created with, performed by: Anna Línová
Photos: Jiří Tashi Vondráček
The project emerged during Studio ALTA Residency and DanceLab Prague.