Clean Slate

Diego Vázquez

Set Design 
Diego Vázquez

Costume Design 
Diego Vázquez

Light Design 
Carlos Arce

Ballet de Morelos, 2009


Running Time 
13 min.

Inspired on the score by the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, Diego Vázquez uses the same title of the piece and explores the meaning of the phrase “clean slate”, challenging the philosophical dogma that favours the argument of experience as the fundamental component of any kind of knowledge produced by the human being. Diego Vázquez prefers to explore the state of absolute peace that is generated only by receiving forgiveness.

This choreography presents the scenario of an agitated mind experiencing guilt and the need for forgiveness.

The first image of Vázquez’ Clean Slate is a dancer sitting on a Vassily chair, thinking on the repercussion of her actions. The virtuous, fragmented and unarticulated movements of the dancers in the rest of the piece could be interpreted as the sequence of thoughts happening in the mind of the starting character. There are always absurd situations like in dreams; there is order and disorder. However the need and search of a state of stillness and peace remains at the core.

Vazquez believes that any person can try numerous times to start afresh, but without forgiveness there cannot be peace. Forgiveness is a divine quality, therefore it can be produced only by divine intervention make “clean slate” in a human heart.