The Devil’s Hour
Performance
by
July Weber
In the frame of Fold – Ghosts & Demons
Seductive dances are at play in «The Devil’s Hour», a dance piece by choreographer and dancer July Weber for four dancers, set to composer Laure M. Hiendl’s ‘Ray Ray of Light’. Inspired by courtship dances from the animal kingdom as well as medieval couple and round dances, July Weber unfolds a choreography of seductive dances for non-human audiences like ghosts and demons, performed at the historically charged midnight hour – when supernatural forces are said to be especially powerful.
The attraction and strength of the unknown becomes the engine of movement, giving rise to dances that range from choreographed to airily somatic, seeking to seduce an unknown, fleeting body like that of a ghost. Drawing on the archetype of the court jester, who in the Middle Ages enjoyed the right to criticise and parody without punishment, the piece questions the need for staged self-expression, entertainment, and decoration. Against minimal scenery, air currents generated by wind machines render the ephemeral tangible and transform into sculptural material that shapes movement in an ethereal yet exceedingly powerful way.
The premiere of «The Devil’s Hour» took place on 05.08.2023 at Radialsystem.
Accessibility
The performance lasts approx. 60 minutes and takes place in Studio 1. Early boarding (early access to seats) is available for people with mobility impairments. There is no late seating after the performance has started.
The attraction and strength of the unknown becomes the engine of movement, giving rise to dances that range from choreographed to airily somatic, seeking to seduce an unknown, fleeting body like that of a ghost. Drawing on the archetype of the court jester, who in the Middle Ages enjoyed the right to criticise and parody without punishment, the piece questions the need for staged self-expression, entertainment, and decoration. Against minimal scenery, air currents generated by wind machines render the ephemeral tangible and transform into sculptural material that shapes movement in an ethereal yet exceedingly powerful way.
The premiere of «The Devil’s Hour» took place on 05.08.2023 at Radialsystem.
Accessibility
The performance lasts approx. 60 minutes and takes place in Studio 1. Early boarding (early access to seats) is available for people with mobility impairments. There is no late seating after the performance has started.
A limited number of beanbags will be available during early boarding for visitors with physical disabilities. These can be reserved at ticket@tanzfabrik-berlin.de
Loud, shrill and sudden sound elements will be used. This may be unsettling or disturbing for some people. Stroboscopic light will be used.
Studio 1 has a 1.5 metre lowered area that can only be reached via 7 steps. The studio is therefore not barrier-free on the lower level. Access to the upper part of the studio is possible without steps. There are two wheelchair spaces here. The barrier-free toilet is located in front of Studio 3.
If you have any further questions about the access requirements for this performance, please contact: kommunikation@tanzfabrik-berlin.de.
General information on accessibility can be found on our website at: https://www.tanzfabrik-berlin.de/de/barrierefreiheit#.
July Weber
July Weber (all pronouns) is a choreographer/dancer, visual artist and set designer. July Weber studied sculpture at the HBK Braunschweig and at the Academy of Arts Vienna as well as choreography at the HZT Berlin and at the Theaterschool in Amsterdam. Weber's work deals with spaces of interaction between body, material and movement and moves at the intersection of visual art and performance. In 2020 July Weber founded NEW FEARS - a gallery for dance and performance in Berlin Wedding.
Choreography, Stage & Costume: July Weber
Dance: Annalise Van Even, Shar Adams, Rocío Marano, Katrina Bastian
Music: Laure M. Hiendl
Production: Juan Gabriel Harcha
Costume: Don Aretino, Muyao Zhang
Supported by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Community and Tanzfabrik Berlin.
Further Biographies
Annalise Van Even is a multidisciplinary performer and choreographer with a focus on jazz, contemporary dance and improvisation. She holds a bachelor's degree in dance from NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a minor in social and cultural analysis and artistically explores nature, science fiction and spiritual archetypes of non-Western mythology.
Supported by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Community and Tanzfabrik Berlin.
Further Biographies
Annalise Van Even is a multidisciplinary performer and choreographer with a focus on jazz, contemporary dance and improvisation. She holds a bachelor's degree in dance from NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a minor in social and cultural analysis and artistically explores nature, science fiction and spiritual archetypes of non-Western mythology.
Argentinian dancer and choreographer Rocío Marano has been working in Berlin since 2014. In addition to her dance training, she studied at the Escola Superior d'Art i Disseny de les Illes Balears in Spain and completed a master's degree in choreography at the Inter-University Centre for Dance HZT in Berlin. She also studied ecofeminism at the University of Buenos Aires and was awarded a DAAD scholarship in 2020. Her work is inspired by collective and everyday processes and includes practices such as krump, malambo and yawning.
The dancer Katrina Bastian studied at Reed College / Portland, USA and at the Hochschule für Schauspielkunst Ernst / HZT, Berlin. She has worked with the New Zealand Dance Company, Footnote Dance NZ (Choreoco) and Black Grace Dance Company. Her choreographic work has been shown in New Zealand, South East Asia, Europe and the
USA. Since returning to Berlin she has worked with Haptic Hide, Yoriko Maeno, Rachel Monosov and July Weber and has been funded by Neu-Start Kultur and Dis-Tanz-Solo.
Laure M. Hiendl works as a composer* and curator* in Berlin. Hiendl's work deals with music as spatial art and is situated between concert music, performance, music theatre, installation and other interdisciplinary fields. Hiendl holds a PhD from Columbia University New York and currently works at the Mozarteum University Salzburg. Dey is co-founder* of the festival Music Installations Nuremberg.
Shar Adams, a Canadian of Afro-Caribbean heritage, has been involved in the performing arts for over 20 years, initially studying ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary dance, hip-hop, dancehall and traditional West African dance. Since graduating from the commercial dance programme at George Brown College, she has worked internationally as a dancer and choreographer for theatre, television/film and record labels.
