Das wahre Gesicht – Dance is Not Enough
Performance
by
Christoph Winkler
In the frame of 8th Tanznacht Berlin 2014
Using the term ‘dance & politics’, Christoph Winkler looks at the clash of state and citizen in times of capitalist crisis. Demonstrations of power impact against demonstrations of protest and generate unique aesthetics of conflict. The scenarios, be they street theatre, contemporary art or arts activism, are eloquent testimonials of a generation that only knows capitalism as a permanent state of crisis. However, as in every ideological demonstration, there are gaps that point to something the protagonists miss. Kettling by the police against sitting demonstrations does not just mean strong against weak because the ‘mime’ of the protests oscillate in their meanings. How and under what circumstances can protests say anything anyway? Winkler searches for answers with humour and earnestness with four dancers and actors.
Concept: Christoph Winkler. By and with: Ahmed Soura, Chris Daftsios, Luke Garwood, Luis Rodriguez. Creative Consulting: Mirko Winkel. Technical: André Schulz. Costumes: Lisa Kentner.Set Design Assistance: För Künkel. Voice Training: Bernadette La Hengst Production: ehrliche arbeit – freelance office for culture. A Christoph Winkler and ehrliche arbeit production in co-operation with Ballhaus Ost. Funded by the City of Berlin and the three-year conceptual fund of the Fonds Darstellende Künste e.V., made possible by the Federal Cultural Foundation. Supported byPhase7.
Christoph Winkler
Christoph Winkler, born in Torgau/East Germany, was a multiple Spartakiad winner in the disciplines weight-lifting and judo and studied breakdance and martial arts, before being selected for classical ballet training as a teenager. After the fall of the wall, he danced in music videos for MTV, performed in underground techno clubs and studied choreography at the prestigious School for Drama Ernst Busch, as well as founding the music label Klangkrieg Productions for experimental music. After graduation in 1998, he began working as an independent choreographer in Berlin. His early work received much critical acclaim for its austere, radical and discursive minimalist style and was invited to numerous festivals such as the Rencontres Chorégraphiques Internationales de Seine-Saint-Denis and Impulstanz in Vienna. He was also invited to present his pieces at the German Dance Platform in 2002, 2004 and 2012. In 2006, his oeuvre branched out into several different directions, e.g. collaborations with various young hip-hop artists (Tales of the Funky [2007], Saal A [2008], Taste of Ra [2009], Maldoror-Amped [2010]) and two pieces on the concept of performance itself and the contextualization of dance (Posed [2008], Eine Geschichte [2009]). In 2007, he founded BERLIN GOGOS – Agency for Contemporary GoGo Dancing as an ongoing analysis of the mechanisms of exploitation in contemporary dance.
His most important aim is to explore topics through dance that directly pertain to the art form, but also in addition refer back to ongoing and current topics of discussion in society. Along these lines, he began in 2009 with the open series Dance&Politics, which so far includes Taking Steps (2009) about life-long learning, Dance! Copy! Right? (2012), RechtsRadikal about the ring-wing female body and The True Face about global capitalism and arts activism worldwide (both 2013). The solo Baader – A Choreography of Radicalization (second part in the series Evil Bodies) has toured widely and dancer Martin Hansen was named Dancer of the Year 2012 for it by the German dance journal tanz. In 2014: Abendliche Tänze – A Tanzfonds Erbe Project about the subjective process of memory, Wo die Zitronen blühen – a solo with Ahmed Soura about German culture.