What future awaits the human body?
Panorama is a dance solo that takes this question to the limit with a mixture of fantasy, sense of humour and a touch of hope.
From the Greek pân (all) and hórama (view), the word panorama was popularised by the Irish painter Robert Barker (1787) to describe his circular paintings. In his far-reaching landscapes, the artist prompts an immersive experience that invites contemplation and, therefore, reflection. What is our place in that landscape?
In the same way, Raquel Gualtero invites us to a state of contemplation in which her body walks us through different imaginaries that we might find strangely familiar. The entire piece stands on recognisable gestures that turn into never-ending choreographies through their repetition. The dancer’s body is the center of this landscape: coated in a second skin that evokes a post-human future, it invites you to enter a trance as the only mean to reach an intimate, unique and non-transferable place which is not a mere photocopy of anything or anyone. A place crossed over by a voice that belongs to us and transforms the casts we had set up for ourselves. That very part of landscape that might be strange, inhospitable and unexpected to us, but which is definitely a desired place
Panorama is a scenic proposal presented in two complementary formats—theater version and site-specific version—each adapted to its space to transform the audience’s perception.
In its theater version, premiered at Barcelona’s Mercat de les Flors, the set is built around six LED screens suspended from the ceiling. These structures not only illuminate but also frame the stage, creating an immersive atmosphere. By enclosing the performance area with screens, the design gains visual depth, giving the illusion of a space that is longer than it is wide and offering the audience a more panoramic view.
By contrast, the site-specific version, first shown at the Festival Sismògraf in Olot, adapts to unconventional venues such as glass-walled rooms or “fishbowl” spaces. Here, all lighting originates from the floor—since the screens cannot be hung—and emphasizes a feeling of confinement and intimacy. The audience sits on bleachers and experiences the performance through individual headphones, allowing for a more personal and immersive soundscape.
Although both formats share the same choreographic and visual language, they are shaped by their contexts to generate distinct yet complementary scenic realities.
Artistic Direction and Performance: Raquel Gualtero | Musical Composition: Aurora Bauzà and Rodrigo Rammsy | Lighting Design: Arnau Sala | Direction Support: Lipi Hernández | Movement Support: Salva Sanchis | Dramaturgy Support: Albert Perez | Scenic Space Support: Raquel Klein | Photography: Marga Parés and Alice Brazzit | Production: El Climamola | Co-production: Mercat de les Flors, Festival Sismògraf, Antic Teatre | With the support of: La Caldera Les Corts, El Graner, Convent de les Arts (Alcover), Danza en Breve (La Laguna, Tenerife), Teatre Auditori de Llinars, L’Animal a l’Esquena, Estruch Fàbrica de Creación, Centro Cívico Barceloneta | Acknowledgements: Oscar Dasi, Pere Faura, Amaranta Velarde, Javier Cuevas, Aleix Vallverdú, Miquel Fiol