I am placebo / Ja som placebo _ dance solo 

The body remembers. The body repeats. But can it rewrite itself?
I AM PLACEBO is an award-winning dance and visual solo exploring memory, subconscious patterns and the invisible habits that shape who we are. Through movement, sound and visual doubling, the work searches for the fragile space between repetition and change, control and freedom.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

DOSKY 2025 – Slovak National Theatre Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance Theatre

2nd Prize – Solo Dance Contest Gdańsk 2026 (Poland)

Aerowaves 2026 – Also Recommended

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PERFORMANCE & BOOKING INFORMATION

Duration: 30 minutes (shorter 15-minute version available)

Format: Contemporary dance / Physical theatre / Visual performance

Space: Adaptable to black box theatres, galleries and site-specific locations

Technical requirements: Flexible and minimal, with options for simplified lighting and projection-free presentation

Additional formats: I AM PLACEBO Class – a contemporary dance workshop combining floorwork, choreographic material and movement research

Optional visual installation: PLACEBO PAINTINGS – a selection of original paintings that can accompany the performance

for booking: michal.heriban@gmail.com / jednym.dychom@gmail.com

PLACEBO PAINTINGS

I AM PLACEBO extends beyond the stage into a series of paintings by Michal Heriban, exploring memory, identity, repetition and transformation through a visual language.

A selection of PLACEBO PAINTINGS can accompany the performance as an optional exhibition, creating a dialogue between body, movement and image. The installation can be adapted to theatres, galleries and site-specific spaces.

CREDITS

Choreography and dance: Michal Heriban

Music: Jozef Vlk

Costume: Andrea Pojezdalová

In collaboration with Jedným dychom theatre

Premiere: 15.12.2024 - Nová Cvernovka, Bratislava

Supported using public funding by Slovak Arts Council

ANOTATION

In today's world, we are constantly interacting with our surroundings in ways we may not even be aware of. We are shaped by automated actions, subconscious habits, and the ever-evolving digital environment that dictates much of our behavior. We live in a time where consciousness is increasingly fragmented by technology, fast-paced information, and the pressure to constantly perform and function.

"I Am Placebo" explores these very themes: how our body and mind work together in seemingly automatic cycles, how habits form and shape our lives, and how we can consciously reprogram ourselves to break free from the patterns that govern us. The performance is not just a reflection of the individual's internal world, but also a comment on the wider social climate where self-improvement, self-awareness, and self-programming are highly sought after ideals.

In the context of contemporary performance, this piece invites the audience to reflect on the nature of memory, identity, and control. It challenges the notion of free will and questions the mechanisms that dictate our lives. By combining structured choreography, improvisation, and suggestive music, "I Am Placebo" encourages viewers to consider the power of their own minds and bodies in creating new pathways—how we can consciously alter our habits and reshape our identities.

As the world becomes more complex and fragmented, "I Am Placebo" provides a space for introspection, highlighting the importance of awareness and the possibility of transformation. It reminds us that, in a world full of external influences, we still have the ability to choose how we react, how we grow, and ultimately, how we heal.

"Heriban's solo is an example of dance excellence."
— Jana Návratová, DANCE CONTEXT / Taneční aktuality

"The questions that shape our relationship to ourselves – who we are, why we act the way we do – may arise throughout our lives, with varying intensity."
— Marek Godovič, MLOKi

"In this dynamic and physically demanding choreography, precise and structured movement alternates with improvisation – just like in life. If we're able to organize and reflect on the past, we gain something solid to lean on when unexpected challenges arise in the present."— Mira Kovářová, Slovak Dance Platform

"Heriban's solo Placebo is his dance concert, and it feels complete. A simple concept of two presences – his physical self and his virtual one."
— Ivana Topitkalová, kød magazine

"From the beginning, it was clear this would be a different kind of experience – physical strength was present, but it wasn't rough or destructive. Quite the opposite. Michal explores the body's memory, working with both its total preservation and its disruption through improvisation, with maximum dynamism and range of motion, contrasted by minimalism. Each section of the piece opens a new approach or method."
... "One didn't even need to seek out sophisticated metaphors – the performance itself was the experience."
— Lucie Kocourková, OPERA+