If you want to experience a truly innovative presentation of cutting-edge fashion in Berlin you need to keep an eye out for the events at TRAUMABARUNDKINO. The hidden place in Moabit has put out a series of fashion events since the last November that combines contemporary dance with fashion. Of course, there have been attempts at blending dance with fashion elsewhere before, but trust me, never have they been as cool as at TRAUMA.
Following the success of Now You May Tell That I Have Been Seen By You the fashion department of TRAUMA lead by Tanja Bombach has now put out a second event titled Catalogue of Disguise showcasing designs by Olga Khristolyubova, Aleksndru Plesco, and Tanja herself. With an impressive choreography by Franka Marlene Foth that I could easily see at the theatres in Berlin and a stellar cast of dancers the piece was a big advancement of the already pretty amazing first event. Every little detail was perfect from the designs to the performance, the hair and make-up, music and light. It’s so rare you see something as complex as this brought to perfection in each of its aspects. Congratulations to the entire team. I draw my hat.
There are no further words that will do this level of excellence any justice, so I decide to let my photo and GIF impressions speak instead.
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by Frank | Fashion, Party
photos: Dieter Hartwig.
When does a dance start and when does it end? What movement is beautiful and what would you describe as disturbing? How can the body language translate into a narrative and what will the audience read in it
These are some of the questions posed by the dance piece Glory by Jeremy Wade. This piece had its premiere 12 years ago at the Tanztage festival and is coming back to Sophiensaele this weekend. The powerful duett by Jeremy Wade himself and Sindri Runudde will show you some aspects of dance you might never have seen before.
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by Claudio | Theater
The contemporary dance piece “Half Life” by Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar that is performed by the Staatsballett Berlin takes the viewer to an abstract world where intensity is marking every gesture and every decision.
A driving electronic beat makes the half-naked bodies of the dancers pulsate almost trance-like. The whole ensemble moves in unison as if it was one organism totally in synch with the music. The sweat on their skin makes every muscle glisten in the minimal light in front of the black background. Even though the choreography heavily relies on repetition there is a lot of suspense building up and the relief that the viewers experience when one movement breaks out of the formation feels a lot like that delicious “beat drop” moment during an excessive techno club night.
What is remarkable about this piece is the ecstatic reaction of the audience at the end of the performance which is often greeted with standing ovations and screams and shouts. This is not exactly a typical reaction of the Berlin opera and ballet audience.
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by Frank | Theater
photos: Olga Khristolyubova.
How might the world be like if machines were kings and humans were slaves? If powers were shifted and the automatization would prevail over emotion? In her newest piece Rauschen which premiered last week, Sasha Waltz managed to create a kaleidoscopic dystopian nightmare. The main topic: the struggle of man against machine and the toxic way our society revolves around our egos.
For Sasha Waltz Rauschen is her first piece produced for the big stage of Volksbühne. A stage that has a lot of problematic theater history to carry. But her piece is time and spaceless. It does not need references to be emblematic on its own.
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by Claudio | Theater
When you’ve got your life somehow vaguely figured out in Berlin, it is very easy to fall into a weekly routine. You see the same people, eat at the same restaurants and go after your favorite hobby. And somehow, this routine becomes dangerously comfortable, until boredom dares us to try something new. Personally, I fear and love my comfort zone. Love it, because Netflix & Angry Chicken with my hubby is fricking amazing. Hate it, because it keeps my mind from expanding. So, I challenge you and me to go out and try something new in the upcoming weeks. I came up with some ideas, fellas, see you there!!
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by Franziska | Stories
Dance is an expression of the body, while fashion design gives the body new form and function. Can both become one in an only and unique genre? Last Saturday the new Hybrid-Art Space TRAUMABARUNDKINO presented its first in-house production combining contemporary dance choreographies with the presentation of four young fashion talents.
We had the opportunity to experience the performance NOW YOU MAY TELL THAT I’VE BEEN SEEN BY YOU and were incredibly stooked by so much creativity from different angles coming together.
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by Claudio | Art, Fashion
Can you imagine a neighborhood in Berlin with only one ethnic background? This is the case of Chatsworth, a part of Durban in South Africa. During Apartheid all the inhabitants with Indian roots had to move to one common neighborhood. There they got only small houses to live in. Through this measures, the government hoped that the community of Indians would not grow larger.
Enfant terrible of the dance theater scene – Constanza Macras – choose Chatsworth as the title and frame of her newest piece. Her particular style of documentary dance theater takes the audience through fragments of unique stories, local music, romantic songs and her signature group dance scenes.
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by Claudio | Theater
Company Wayne McGregor
The Tanz im August Festival is back showcasing the immensely diverse world of contemporary dance on the stages of Berlin! From the August 10 to September 2 you’ll be able to enjoy and experience a wide range of dances throughout the city. From international productions by established creators to newcomers and world premieres. On top of that, the program also includes talks and workshops so the public can engage by participating and learn through action. And now, without further ado, we present you our selection of the 10 most exciting pieces from this edition of Tanz im August. Enjoy!
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by Amanda Artiaga | Theater
What is the difference between the meat on our body and the meat on our plates? Is there really one? Why does our brain rather consider a bunch of oversized fake sausages “meat” while the real meat sits naked on top of it?
For the research to his award-winning piece Requiem for a Piece of Meat theater maker Daniel Hellmann went deep into the cruel realities of the meat production industry. What he found there was both shocking and eye-opening, and turned him and part of his team to veganism. The ways how we humans disassociate a piece of meat from what it really is – a sliced-off piece from a living creature that was killed against its will after enduring a life of torture and mistreatment – is one of the topics he dissects in his piece. But it goes far beyond the treatment of animals and blurred lines of what is the meat on our bones, the meat of an animal and the meat product that goes over the butcher’s counter. It also questions how we treat black bodies and female bodies, and how lust and desire play into our associations with meat.
Nothing that you will see in this piece is done for shock value – in fact, the realities of the things depicted in the play are by far more shocking. Yet, for some theaters, the production was too extreme so it got censored and even canceled. Luckily, Berlin theater people are not so thin-skinned so we can enjoy the German premiere tonight at Ballhaus Ost with encore screenings on the following days. Some impressions and details below.
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by Frank | Theater
Sponsored
Are ballet dancers just puppets hanging on the strings of their choreographers? Unable to act on their own will, damned to display moves that others have pushed on them. And what happens if the dancers cut their strings to roam the stage. Chaos or beauty? Or maybe a dark combination of both?
In the new trilogy of Staatsballett by Gentian Doda, Marco Goecke, and Nacho Duato the dancers of the ballet company seem to be possessed by different spells of an old book. This triple-performance-night is the last contemporary premiere of the director Nacho Duato who is leaving the Staatsballett next season. And if you think ballet is family friendly amusement, you will rethink that after seeing this trilogy. It has even an age limit not allowing children in the audience.
For this particular night of exceptional dance, we are giving away 2×2 tickets to our readers. Find out how after the jump.
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by Claudio | Theater
