As you probably know we’re big fans of the Staatsballett Berlin here at iHeartBerlin. So naturally, this new video really warmed our hearts when we first saw it: Initiated and edited by Principal Dancer Ksenia Ovsyanick, 45 of the dancers recorded themself at their homes or wherever they spent their quarantine giving a little performance that seamlessly blends over from one dancer to the next as if they all danced together in unison. The result is a cute little collage of all the dancers that give us some positive vibes and smiles in these strange times. Thank you guys for that, we can’t wait to see you back on stage, hopefully soon!
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by Frank | Pandemic, Theater, Videos
photos: Anna Agliardi.
In the last decades, Berlin’s international scene has grown widely and multiple talents from different backgrounds enriched the cultural landscape of the city. One of those fresh talents had her Berlin stage debut last weekend and we are more than impressed.
Choreographer Kiani del Valle showed her first performance piece “Las Casas Invisibles” (Spanish for the invisible houses) with her newly formed KDV Dance Ensemble at the spectacular Funkhaus concert stage.
The place which usually hosts concerts and festivals for avant-garde and contemporary electronic music was the perfect setting for the interdisciplinary performance. With a collective of 10 incredibly strong dancers, she created an immersive story that floated seamlessly from childhood memories into the experience of migration, police brutality and longing for connection.
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by Claudio | Theater
The latest double bill by Staatsballet Berlin brings together two exceptional and unconventional choreographers: Sharon Eyal and Alexander Ekman. Both have created brand new pieces for this show that premiered earlier this month at Staatsoper Unter den Linden. If you’re expecting to see some classical ballet you will be in for a surprise, because this is anything but! We had the chance to join one of the rehearsals and take a couple of photos and GIFs for you. Don’t miss this incredible double performance. The last show of the year is tonight, with more to come in March, May and June 2020.
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by Frank | Theater
When the magnificent Martini Cherry Furter opens the door to the main stage of Ballhaus Naunynstraße to welcome you in, you know you’re in for a treat. What awaits you inside is a feast for the eye thought up by dancer and choreographer Jao Moon and his team. “Everybody Can Be Everybody Can Not Be” is the fourth work of the young performer, but his debut as a choreographer of an ensemble.
Following the strong aesthetics of his previous solo piece Memory of Dislocation, Jao is once again presenting a piece that is visually stunning – not only because of the beautiful stage design by Michi Muchina with light by Emilio Cordero Checa, or the costumes by Billi Lobos, but also because of the unique and talented cast, including the aforementioned Martini, as well as Amada Tinoco, Natasha Vergilio, Francisco Bejarano Montes de Oca and, of course, Jao himself.
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by Frank | Theater
The Ballroom scene of Berlin is on fire right now! Never have there been more balls happening with new events popping up every other week. It’s exciting to see the enthusiasm of the young generation and how they rise up to create their own gatherings.
After we had so much fun at the last ball hosted by the charming David Angels Milan during Pride, we teamed up with him for his next ball Voguing for the Ocean that is happening this coming Saturday at Säälchen. The oceanic theme is not just meant as a dress code for the outfits of the Voguers, the event is also a charity fundraiser for the organization Ocean Now that is campaigning to protect this important ecosystem. Voguing for a good cause!
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by Frank | Stories
photo: Frank Sperling
Do you have a favorite apocalypse? Imagine you could choose between, team atomic war, team climate-catastrophe or team asteroid? Or would you then rather love a real biblical Armageddon-thingy with seven plagues and at least an obese woman pretending to be a dark messiah coming for us all?
The newest dance performance light spectacle by Ariel Efraim Ashbel and friends called no apocalypse not now at HAU 1 is bringing all the weirdest apocalypses to the stage you can imagine. From devastating no man’s land to a world who is formed by black bubbles floating around, the performance collective was able to create with a few simple ingredients a dark, humorous and enigmatic powerplay of images for the audience.
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by Claudio | Theater
Now it’s finally here: the new creative leadership of Berlin choreographer Sasha Waltz at the Staatsballett – anticipated by some and criticized by others. And the season premiere of Plateau Effect by Jefta van Dinther could not have been a more daring choice for the first piece of this new era.
The Swedish choreographer van Dinther is well known in the contemporary dance scene and has been often invited to Tanz im August and to HAU theater. His pieces are known for an emotional radicalness and for not caring about the needs and expectations of the audience. Even if his work is acclaimed by critics and the dance and art world, it is not something you would take your granny or even your parents to watch. Many of his pieces are raw, sexual, rough and often accompanied by a soundtrack you would rather hear at Berghain than in an opera house.
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by Claudio | Theater
The Ballroom scene might very well be my favorite thing about Berlin’s nightlife right now. I’m so happy there is a lot of movement going on at the moment with multiple voguing workshops taking place and balls happening more regularly. If you don’t know what the hell I’m talking about you can read up on the ballroom culture and voguing in some earlier pieces of us here and here.
This last Friday the magnificent David Milan from the House of Milan hosted his very first ball here in Berlin at Säälchen in conjunction with Pride Week and with support by Coca-Cola and Eastpak. It was a beautiful spectacle that united all the colors of the rainbow (literally and metaphorically) under one roof. The runway was on fire that night with some of the best outfits and performances I have seen in a while. I just love how regular outfit rules of Berlin’s club scene are totally turned upside down with people going for bold, colorful, extravagant and camp instead of the trendy, sporty all-black style. For me, the voguers are like the coolest people that I can imagine, but at the same time they are very welcoming and accepting of all kinds of people, so you will see a very diverse crowd embracing different identities, cultures, and shapes at their events.
The crowd of the Pride Ball was no exception, so much beauty, my camera could not have been happier. Of course, I took tons of photos and I created probably the biggest series of animated GIFs that I ever did for an event. I’m already excited for the next ball (which is happening at Schwuz on August 23) and also look forward to more movement in the ballroom culture of Berlin.
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by Frank | Party, Photos
photo: Mathieu Doyon.
August is the month of dance in Berlin. We would love to show you our selection of highlights for the upcoming festival Tanz im August celebrating contemporary dance from all over the world.
Heat becomes movement and movement becomes a dance. While spoken word theaters are traditionally closed during summer for almost 6 to 8 weeks, the dance scene celebrates this period with all kinds of intense programs. While most dance schools, like Tanzfabrik or Marameo, offer intense workshops, for the people who rather watch than dance themselves there is a big festival celebrating the variety of contemporary dance: Tanz im August.
This year’s program has several highlights to offer. Most of the pieces will have their German or even worldwide premiere. This means that the following highlights are more of an intuitive choice than an exclusive selection since we had no chance to see any of these in person. Feel free to check out the whole program yourself and see if something else might spark your interest.
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by Claudio | Theater
It is no secret that we are huge fans of Berlin label UY. So it comes as no surprise that we were thrilled to find out that the label plans a very special extravaganza to celebrate its 5th anniversary. Combining their passion for the theatrical and their strong connection to Berlin’s nightlife the event was recently revealed to be a dance performance at Halle (the awesome location inside the building of Berghain) that will premiere tonight!
We had the chance to witness the press preview last night and of course, took the opportunity to capture some impressions for you. You can expect a grand spectacle with lots of golden outfits, a fantastic choreography by The Progressive Wave, and a soundtrack by Dasha Rush that could not be more fitting for the location. You should get tickets for the 19h or 21h show and join the after party at Berghain Kantine.
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by Frank | Fashion
