Nice how things return. After being on the rigging side for so many years, I enjoyed being solidly tied yesterday. Or is it actually the first time? ..its different from before somehow. The bamboo gave me a slightly torturous strech. But all in all it was a great tie. Thanks Tam for this nice moment and beautiful rope work!
Some twenties expressionist dance. Combining shibari and butoh. Thanks Sarah for the lovely face paint!
Breaking new soil with butoh last week. I attended a one week workshop lead by Mako and Hikaro Inagawa at Tatwerk. It was an ambitious enterprise,
which worked in the end :)
Nine participants, singers, performers, a care giver and philologist, eagerly absorbed the japanese performance tools, and 4RUDE‘s approach. Trying hard to make faces like rotten cows, breaking branches, or repeating spider walk over and over. It gave us a good muscle hangover!
About two month ago I started taking butoh classes. Looking for a change in my body and different imagery to dance from. I am discovering this, but allready it’s a beautiful contrast to the airborne ballet. Not striving for the sky, but connecting with the soil, and giving topics around death for example a dancy form. Its also just fun, and maybe a return to expressionist dance.
The images we worked with are often short stories, so called Butoh-fu. A kind of vocabulary to generate creative mind states. From which than the physical expression comes. For example a room full of pollen, sneezing faces or a grave keeper calming a pack of barking dogs. Or a crayon, with a childish face, sort of asking what do I draw today?
All this to tell Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. (Only part I, part II is following in November.)
In Hikaru’s work, there is seldomly one to one illustration of the narrative. This I already liked in their last piece CELLuLOID. Having a nice level of abstraction, and despite slow motion, an ongoing, dense concentration all the way through.
So, often there is stillness on the body surface, but internally we crossed the desert without water..
At: 10 -12 am
Tuesday 19 & 26 April
3, 10, 17, 24, 31 May
7 & 14 June
Costs: 20 Euro per person
10 class card 160 €
In Uferhallen Kulturwerkstatt in Wedding. Staircase b, Uferstraße 8-11, 13357 Berlin
U8 Pankstr/U9 Osloerstr
Please call when you are in the court yard, in case you don’t find it, or the door is locked:
+ 49 174 393 70 49.
PLEASE REGISTER BEFOREHAND!
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
The workshop focusses on traditional Shibari technique. Inspired by Osada Steve, Kamijoo Saki, Arisue Go, Hourai Kasumi or Lun Ario. We start with the basics and security principles. Learning initial knots and floor work patterns with a partner. When these principles are set, we approach more complex figures and suspension technique step by step.
Besides learning the knots, qualitative aspects play a great role as well. How do I guide the rope in a sensual way, how can my partner, or I, travel through blissful states of rope drunkenness?
To arrive there, it requires some training for both sides, ..softly softly catchee monkey.
Applying the three principles: the classical aesthetic, the sensual effect and a non-harming technique and philosophy, is the goal. They fuse the visual, tactile, and playful level into an adventurous ritual.
Girls girls, boys girls, non boys/girl, cis people everybody is welcome as long as you respect the group!
You don’t need to come with a partner. There always are other solo participants, or I jump in.
Please bring training-/comfortable pants. If you have own ropes, otherwise we provide them.
20th April, Wednesday
6 – 10 pm
Costs: 40 Euro per person (social price 30 Euro)
At Teatris/Alte Kantine or in our ‘Mini- Dojo’. Both locations are at:
Uferhallen Kulturwerkstatt in Wedding. Staircase b/c, Uferstraße 8-11, 13357 Berlin
U8 Pankstr/U9 Osloerstr
Please call when you are in the court yard, in case you don’t find it, or the door is locked:
+ 49 174 393 70 49.
PLEASE REGISTER BEFOREHAND, THAN WE SEND YOU THE DETAILS!
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: English + GERMAN
18 – 19 h yoga warm up
19 – 19.30 pause
19.30 – 21 shibari/technical input
21- 22 h open space to play and exchange ideas or just watching.
31st March, Thursday Postponed to May 6th!!
7-11 pm
Costs: 40 Euro per person (social price 30 Euro)
At Teatris/Alte Kantine or in our ‘Mini- Dojo’. Both locations are at
Uferhallen Kulturwerkstatt in Wedding. Staircase b/c, Uferstraße 8-11, 13357 Berlin
U8 Pankstr/U9 Osloerstr
Please call when you are in the court yard, in case you don’t find it, or the door is locked:
+ 49 174 393 70 49.
PLEASE REGISTER BEFOREHAND, THAN WE SEND YOU THE DETAILS.
Our performance baby ‘Shibari Express’ is growing, and we want to focus more on performance ideas as part of the workshop, than on basic rope technique. So previous knowledge is useful but not mandatory. If you prefer to watch, we will always need free hands to hold a light, fog machine or navigate a camera…
We want to invite you to brainstorm with us, ideas or dramaturgy and how to try those on a small scale. You could also bring an instrument, books or other devices, which you always have wanted to tie up or perform with.
The scenes that we create explore theatre tools and can be happening-like, installations or movement based/choreographies. It’s an experiment to involve poetic thoughts around rope work, and to have an open space situation to try Shibari for the stage. There will always be someone of our team, or other free floating participants to support you, unless you want to make a solo :)
Sounds all more challenging than it is..its about searching new forms and having fun!
The second round of staging shibari workshop went a step further. Mainly I was interested in working with white face colour, somewhat butoh inspired, and trying new technical equipment. We now have a little studio with light control and black backdrop.
The group was smaller, 6 people, mostly new to shibari, some bold some shy, but in general calm, concentrated vibes were coming from the table scene.
“How does Flying work on stage?” somebody from Hau asked me sometime in January. A couple of hints forth and back, and I suggested these guys for professional flying machinery.
“Let me know if you need help with moving in the air!”
I ended up making a sort of aerial choreography for Veit Sprenger’s Enter the Hydra, which was part of the Heiner Müller Festival at the Hau.
Rita Stelling, who in the solo installation performed Heraklis II, was super cool to work with. We immediately connected and had much fun throwing together ideas on how to treat the abstract landscape made of cubes, amorphic object and dangerous triangles created by Alexej Tcherni. The whole theatre machinery was involved. Iron curtain, revolving stage, fog, projection and life music and much more.
An overload of information in only 30 minutes, but put together in such a fine, condensed way, that each picture kept something poignant and simple. Mostly it was the tension between the whole staging and Rita as performer which made it strong on all sensory levels, I think. Visually, but also as text – image and sound installation.
All in all, a fortunate spontaneous collaboration. Here some rehearsal and performance moments.
23th March, Wednesday
Costs: 40 Euro per person (social price 30 Euro)
At Teatris/Alte Kantine or in our ‘Mini- Dojo’. Both locations are at
Uferhallen Kulturwerkstatt in Wedding. Staircase b/c, Uferstraße 8-11, 13357 Berlin
U8 Pankstr/U9 Osloerstr
Please call when you are in the court yard, in case you don’t find it, or the door is locked:
+ 49 174 393 70 49.
PLEASE REGISTER BEFOREHAND, THAN WE SEND YOU THE DETAILS!
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: English + GERMAN
NEWS: Please know that costs have has changed to 40 Euro per person, thank you!
Roughly the schedule will be this:
19 – 20 h yoga warm up
20 – 20.30 pause
20.30 – 22 shibari/technical input
22- 23 h open space to play and exchange ideas or just watching.
31st March, Thursday
7-11 pm
Costs: 40 Euro per person (social price 30 Euro)
At Teatris/Alte Kantine or in our ‘Mini- Dojo’. Both locations are at
Uferhallen Kulturwerkstatt in Wedding. Staircase b/c, Uferstraße 8-11, 13357 Berlin
U8 Pankstr/U9 Osloerstr
Please call when you are in the court yard, in case you don’t find it, or the door is locked:
+ 49 174 393 70 49.
PLEASE REGISTER BEFOREHAND, THAN WE SEND YOU THE DETAILS.
Our performance baby ‘Shibari Express’ is growing, and we want to focus more on performance ideas as part of the workshop, than on basic rope technique. So previous knowledge is useful but not mandatory. If you prefer to watch, we will always need free hands to hold a light, fog machine or navigate a camera…
We want to invite you to brainstorm with us, ideas or dramaturgy and how to try those on a small scale. You could also bring an instrument, books or other devices, which you always have wanted to tie up or perform with.
The scenes that we create explore theatre tools and can be happening-like, installational or movement based/choreographies. Its an experiment to involve poetic thoughts around rope work, and to have an open space situation to try Shibari for the stage. There will always be someone of our team, or other free floating participants to support you, unless you want to make a solo :)
Sounds all more challenging than it is..its about searching new forms and having fun!
The workshop, a fun experiment on 30 square meters. Ballhaus Ost borrowed lights, Uferstudios a dimmer, I threw costumes ropes and make up in. Us 10 people figured our roles for the evening as light performance-, camera-, fog- person, singer or audience. Squeezing through my tiny dojo in Uferhallen, which currently looks more like a suspension point forrest.
We started by talking and gathering ideas, I assigned tasks to the riggers and models, we had to find a group timing, and everyone went to find small stories with their partner.
It was exciting and tricky to handle light without distance to the scene. More fog! I was hectically torn between photographing, arranging and watching, and super happy to have such great technicians in the group shibari- and stagewise.
Some hidden talents! :) There was precise as well as messy tying going on.
Within our 30 minutes sequence there were moments when things came together, when stillness took place between the three hanging bodies, and Micha started singing. Here some moments..
OMG, when it comes to ballet I am such a groupie! In the last two weeks went to see the Staatsballett Berlin twice. To see Polina Semionova dance Swan Lake and Giselle. She is utterly stunning. Every step is carefully, thoughtfully placed, and her person seems to vanish into the character she dances. Her presence and oneness with the role, especially as ephemeral being or ‘Elementargeist’.
Sometimes I would like her to perform a little more edgy, as black swan or in Giselle’s mad scene. But maybe that comes with more time, and well, thats also a lack in ballet education!
The Swan Lake evening was a double highlight, it was also Beatrice Knop’s farewell, after being a ballerina with the company for a quarter century — what an immense effort!
It was touching, she took of her point shoes during the applause, and left them at the edge of the stage, mountains of flowers for the queen mother, her role that night.
Usually I wouldn’t bother too much, but this brought up memories. After the show I had her biography autographed by her, and when it was my turn I congratulated saying:
‘Hi, do you remember, a long time ago I was a little apprentice in the Staatsballett and we shared a dressing room.’
‘She looked up saying ‘Yea, I very well remember your face, good luck!’. ‘For you too!’ It was nice moment and reconciling with the old times ;)
17th February, Wednesday
Costs: 40 Euro per person (social price 30 Euro)
At Teatris/Alte Kantine or in our ‘Mini- Dojo’. Both locations are at
Uferhallen Kulturwerkstatt in Wedding. Staircase b/c, Uferstraße 8-11, 13357 Berlin
U8 Pankstr/U9 Osloerstr
Please call when you are in the court yard, in case you don’t find it, or the door is locked:
+ 49 174 393 70 49.
PLEASE REGISTER BEFOREHAND, THAN WE SEND YOU THE DETAILS!
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: English + GERMAN
NEWS: Please know that costs have has changed to 40 Euro per person, thank you!
Roughly the schedule will be this:
19 – 20 h yoga warm up
20 – 20.30 pause
20.30 – 22 shibari/technical input
22- 23 h open space to play and exchange ideas or just watching.
23rd February, Tuesday
7-11 pm
Costs: 40 Euro per person (social price 30 Euro)
At Teatris/Alte Kantine or in our ‘Mini- Dojo’. Both locations are at
Uferhallen Kulturwerkstatt in Wedding. Staircase b/c, Uferstraße 8-11, 13357 Berlin
U8 Pankstr/U9 Osloerstr
Please call when you are in the court yard, in case you don’t find it, or the door is locked:
+ 49 174 393 70 49.
PLEASE REGISTER BEFOREHAND, THAN WE SEND YOU THE DETAILS.
Our performance baby ‘Shibari Express’ is growing, and we want to focus more on performance ideas as part of the workshop, than on basic rope technique. So previous knowledge is useful but not mandatory. If you prefer to watch, we will always need free hands to hold a light, fog machine or navigate a camera…
We want to invite you to brainstorm with us, ideas or dramaturgy and how to try those on a small scale. You could also bring an instrument, books or other devices, which you always have wanted to tie up or perform with.
The scenes that we create explore theatre tools and can be happening-like, installational or movement based/choreographies. Its an experiment to involve poetic thoughts around rope work, and to have an open space situation to try Shibari for the stage. There will always be someone of our team, or other free floating participants to support you, unless you want to make a solo :)
Sounds all more challenging than it is..its about searching new forms and having fun!