Fleetstreet Residenz

Very lucky to start working with Michael Schumacher/Meine Damen und Herren Ensemble on Glutamat 2.
It has been a long way to make this collaboration happen. Our research is based on combining Michaels text performance and his auratic presence when he speaks with different movement approaches. We developed a way to dance and rope-tie together, and some dramatic scenes with somewhat absurd poetry. There have been scenic ideas for a Care-Pas de Deux, plenty of sculpturous moments, and a wellness noodle bath.
We continue working on the material all through the year for a show in 2023.

Many thanks to Meine Damen und Herren, especially to Christoph Grothaus and Simone Burkhardt. And to Mark and Sina Schröppel.

Supported by Fleetstreet Theatre Hamburg, the Hamburgische Kulturstiftung, Kulturbehörde Hamburg and the Rudolf Augstein Stiftung .

Fleetstreet Residenz

Fleetstreet Theater Dasniya Sommer Choreografie Michael Schuhmacher Meine Damen und Herren -Tanz-Theater Shibari

Mit ihrer ersten gemeinsamen Kollaboration Gluatamat:2 erarbeiten die Berliner Choreographin und Tänzerin Dasniya Sommer und der Hamburger Performer Michael Schumacher ein so persönliches wie sinnliches Duett. Sommers tänzerischer Umgang mit der japanischen Bondagevariante Shibari und Klassischem Ballett trifft dabei auf das virtuose Sprech- und Sprachverständnis des langjährigen Mitglieds der inklusiven Performancegruppe Meine Damen und Herren.

Zusammen kreieren die beiden eine so abstrakte wie düster-humorvolle Choreographie. Verkaufsverpackungen und individuelle Schicksale gesellschaftlich Randständiger werden metaphorisch auf irritierende Weise verknüpft. Bewusst spielen die beiden mit einem individuellen Verständnis von Zeit. Der zusammen gesponnene Erzählfaden gibt den Takt ihres tänzerischen Rhythmus vor. Zärtliche Shibari Meditationen wechseln sich ab mit unterspannten Crip Time Duetten und absurden Ritualen.
Parallel entsteht aus großformatigen Drucken, Bambusstäben und Juteseilen eine begehbare Installation, deren grelle Ästhetik gleichermaßen mit kapitalistischem Genussversprechen und familiärer Geborgenheit spielt.

Ihre Abschlusspräsentation im Fleetstreet Theater am Mittwoch 29. Juni 2022 um 19.30 Uhr. Die Bar ist ab 19 Uhr geöffnet!

Admiralitätsstr. 71
20459 Hamburg

www.fleetstreet-hamburg.de

Intuitive Session July

Dasniya-Sommer-choreography-objects-movement-exploration- with Gestalta-distanzen-solo-Berlin

Stills aus der Bewegungsrecherche im Rahmen des Dis-Tanzen-Solo Programms. Herzlichen Dank an den Dachverband Tanz Deutschland e.V. für den Support meiner choreografischen Recherche.

Im Juli mit Gestalta-Hannah Judd, Seilen, Steinen und Semi-suspension.
Live podcast: Mittwoch 7. 7. 2021, 16 Uhr, IG: @Dasniya_Sommer

„Gefördert durch die Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien im Programm NEUSTART KULTUR, [Hilfsprogramm DIS-TANZEN/ tanz:digital/ DIS-TANZ-START] des Dachverband Tanz Deutschland.“

Intuitive Session May

Movement research for Dis-Tanzen-Solo,. With Tara Samaya and Yui Kawaguchi at my Uferhallen atelier in May.

„Gefördert durch die Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien im Programm NEUSTART KULTUR, [Hilfsprogramm DIS-TANZEN/ tanz:digital/ DIS-TANZ-START] des Dachverband Tanz Deutschland.“

Research Routines – Talking Toes

Movement exploration for my instagram podcast as part of the program Dis-Tanzen-Solo. Many thanks to Dachverband Tanz Deutschland e.V. for the support.

Live session: Monday April, 26 at 4pm
www.instagram.com/dasniya_sommer/ 

Talking Toes‘ adds hip action to the previous shoulder exploration ⬇️ because foot habits usually start at the architecture of the pelvis and from there root downward. Activating individual muscles groups in the pelvic region takes a moment since it seems like one massive bone structure, sheltering and protecting our guts from external impact.
Staying on the level of movement research, I am again using PNF -proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation – a taktile sense ⬇️ to work out axes and patterns of the pelvic joint, and how it’s micro movement travel up the spine if wanted.
At first its not about moving the leg but finding the individual impulse of the right and left pelvic half. Later these impulses are extended into the periphery and shaped to classical forms but originating at the very core.

I am reading into stereometry in dance, or dynamic spatial geometry. Starting.
An arabesque cut in half brakes the idea of the infinite line, as well as the wrist rope. If there is the full circumference of movement, there also is the folded in or the restricted spacial imprint. With smaller reach, with the lower leg being visually deleted. But therefor more differentiation and attention towards surrounding and often neglected parts and their opportunities to move. Now, by immobilising the lower leg, this becomes obvious. The surrounding parts, like toe or sacrum articulation need to take over. Get creative. For a moment it’s a little brain fuck. Sensory unfamiliar. Staminawise harder, but I am after these alternative sources of movement. For now. Twitches in uncoordinated corners of the little toe, and some time later adding goofy fun stuff.
My (not so virgin) lower back also appreciates this routine. Intrinsic fibres between the vertebrae’s are waking up with deeper blood circulation, and if you do it for a while some blood will rush pleasantly across the pelvic floor.

„Gefördert durch die Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien im Programm NEUSTART KULTUR, [Hilfsprogramm DIS-TANZEN/ tanz:digital/ DIS-TANZ-START] des Dachverband Tanz Deutschland.“

GLUTAMAT research

Im Rahmen von GLUTAMAT research stellt die Berliner Choreographin und Tänzerin Dasniya Sommer die Normierung von Körperbildern, Exotismen und Fast Food Konsum in einen irritierenden Zusammenhang. Als Analysetools dienen ihr dabei ein dekonstruierndes Verständnis von klassischem Ballett, die japanische Bondage Variante Shibari und eine originäre Pop Art Adaption.

Konzept, Choreografie, Set design, Kostüme, Tanz: Dasniya Sommer
Tanz und Co-Choreografie: Tara Jade Samaya und Yui Kawaguchi
Critical companion: Ursina Tossi
Kamera und Schnitt: Pippa Samaya

1000 Dank an Tina Pfurr und Anne Brammen für die zweimonatige Residenz! Sie ist Teil des Take Care Residenzen Programms, gefördert vom Ballhaus Ost, Flausen Netzwerk und Fonds Darstellende Künste.

ROPE BARRE

Tomorrow Friday on Instagram at Dasniya_Sommer – February 26, 4pm

Rope Barre‘ starts with a shoulder blade warm up. With ‚Musculus Subscapularis‘, one of the deep shoulder and breast muscles. Running between the front part of the blade to the upper arm where it inserts on the very inside. When the arm is turned in or pushed against the torso, like when it is freezing or the soul is tensing up, it‘s this M. Subscapularis which get’s active.
Personally both of mine have been injured for a few years. With the arm positions in ballet, with pulling up weights in bondage, or with the arms cross tied behind the back it’s the tendons of this muscle which can get inflamed. (Like to say here that this is not necessarily the ‚fault‘ of the practices, but rather how it’s done and taught.) Nevertheless both ballet and bondage are radical in terms of anatomical intensity (and perhaps from other perspectives). Doing both extensively I see it as the collateral damage of professional ‚use‘ of my body. Nevertheless the price is high. DisTanzenSolo currently supports me to take care of many old dance injuries and at the same time develop a gentle choreographic training routine without production pressure.
This month focus is on developing a somatic strength training for the scapula and it‘s surrounding structures, a not so tiny part of the arm. And because it‘s invisible for our forward looking species I am rediscovering it’s minor movement by sensing it’s location to start with. Inspired by the manual therapeutic practice ‚PNF‘, which I learned about in my physio therapie training more than 15 years ago. I had forgotten about it, but my shoulder misery led me to integrate it in my current daily training and movement research.  ‚PNF‘ means proprioceptive-neuro-fascilitation. Kind of an anatomical self-sensing skill, which most people on the planet use navigating through space. If functioning, this sense tells the mover in which position their joints are. So that also in the dark we know our physical positioning in time and space. That’s the neuro-wiring between the joint capsule- and skin tension, and the brainy part – that‘s how I roughly remember. A pretty awesome and complex sense, which is used mostly without thinking.
For the shoulder blade warm up it‘s necessary to relay on this tactile sense. It’s especially trained in dance and other high coordination sports. But I find the scapula gets often neglected (especially in more conventional classical training), cause it‘s not an obvious articulation like hip or shoulder, and from the old days it‘s all about ‚Isolation‘.

After warming the blade up the routine of a ballet barre follows. The barre is almost an institution by itself I find. A ritual, a codified and useful object, and therefor it’s replaced by ropes. An experimental ‚barre‘ with impromptus steps. Requiring the shoulder girdle to stabilise the arms. For the moment there are no fixed sequences, the guts pour out steps by heart.
The wrist rope make sensible (fühlbar) how the upper limb connects to the blade in the back. From there letting your creative part of the brain take over. Playing with partial restriction. Going back to floor level. Don‘t pull strongly, rather use ropes holding your wrists to push (thrust) down and move rather slow than fast.
There are lot‘s of bridges between, ballet inspired impulses and bondage somatics. Let‘s not hunt shapes! But rather going through them and staying on a sensing level while breathing. And than, once in a while letting go of the concentration part and the muscle support, so that weight is actually falling into ropes or towards the floor. Integrating inner imagery and emo moments can be fun. If you hover over them for a while they might transform, intensify or go away. Think it‘s all valid on an experience level (without forceful phantasies for this round.)
Undoing the ropes can be a moment by itself. Same here, taking the inner drive into the action. Gently, exhausted or wild are colours of mind sets which inform the action/movement quality.
This is my current ‚freeing the shoulder blade and connecting back to my upper limb spirits!‘ tutorial.

Tomorrow Friday on Instagram at Dasniya_Sommer – February 26, 4pm

Trailer: Rope Barre – DisTanzenSolo 

„Gefördert durch die Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien im Programm NEUSTART KULTUR, [Hilfsprogramm DIS-TANZEN/ tanz:digital/ DIS-TANZ-START] des Dachverband Tanz Deutschland.“

Glutamat in Progress

Two weeks into ‘Glutamat’. Researching by myself. Once in a while different dancers are joining on the forth floor of Ballhaus Ost. Collecting material about fast- and slow food behaviour. Climbing up and down the small ladder to fit the set into the space. Eating Ramen. Reading on ballet by ‘Mishima’ (Thx to Gestalta! And yes, he is problematic.) Learning sequences to the dancers, in- and outdoors. Eating Ramen. Checking out Codemiko (Thx to Frances!), this awesome fem streamer and former gaming programer, who drives people crazy on snitch these days. I much enjoy her edgy, over the top style! Here are some in between steps. ..

This research is part of Take Care Residenzen, supported by Ballhaus Ost, Flausen Netzwerk and Fonds Darstellende Künste. Very glad to continue this work in progress which started last year for ‘An unboxing Ballet Beat’. Choreographic documentation on video will be up on this blog from mid April.