Igor and Moreno are a dance duo who also happen to be going out with each other. Their performances push boundaries with more than one show seeing them – ehem – naked. Moreno is from Sardinia and Igor from the Basque country and they met while studying in London. Both countries suffered during the recent European economic collapse and so their aim was to create something about endurance and perseverance but also to utilize the medium of simplicity. Igor and Moreno choose the language of the body and the sound of the voice above that of the words. They explore the one thing we all have: a body; and find ways to make it speak beyond language barriers. Fallon Gold spoke with them about the overlap in their creative and personal lives, where their collaborative art comes from and what they want to give their audience through their new performance Idiot-Syncrasy, which is going to be part of Mayfest.

How did you begin performing collaboratively?
Moreno and I met during our studies and later started working together, first as part of a collective and as a duo since 2012 to develop our own performance work.

How does it work for you being a personal and professional couple?
It is a way to make our profession and personal lives coexist without these being mutually exclusive. I guess being inspired by each other is also key to the success of our collaboration.

Does your personal relationship come through in this piece?
Idiot-Syncrasy is our first work as a duo, and therefore the first time in which during many rehearsals we would be alone in the studio. Inevitably our relationship transpires on stage, perhaps not to define our relationship but rather in the form of stage chemistry.

What is Idiot-Syncrasy about?
Idiot-Syncrasy is a call to come together, it’s about perseverance. By persevering physically on stage we do not only get tired – a metaphor in itself – but create an empowering experience for the viewers. You can find a lot of joy in persevering, in fulfilling what you want to fulfill. By creating this on stage, it has the potential to inspire people to do the same.

Have people read a relevance of you being a couple into this performance?
The work is performed by the two of us, two men. Some people have spoken about masculinity and the relationships between men. Other people have made a more romantic interpretation of the work; others a more sexual one. But the work most importantly wants to be honest, transparent and by putting ourselves on stage we are also putting our own relationship in some ways to talk about synchronicity, perseverance and agreement/disagreement.

What is it that you are saying to an audience through this performance?
Idiot-Syncrasy is a call, we want it to be an empowering experience to defend what we believe in; and by that we mean, what each viewer believes in. We want to be like mirrors. We don’t want to dictate nor limit the possibilities of what each one should believe nor feel. This was really important also while developing the work: to encourage a judgement free feeling towards the self, the others and what we see.

See Igor and Moreno perform Idiot-Syncrasy at Mayfest 14th and 15th May

Mayfest runs 12th-22nd May

Igor & Moreno

Images by Alicia Clarke