HELENA WALDMANN (DE)

Lucky you: As a German citizen, you enjoy the greatest freedom of movement and can travel to 177 countries on the spur of the moment. But what do borders actually mark? In Gute Pässe Schlechte Pässe – eine Grenzerfahrung, two ensembles meet: One from contemporary dance, the other from the world of the Nouveau Cirque. Both speak different movement languages and their work structures are also distinct. A living wall of 20 Bremen citizens separates the two – and reflects their mutual attributions. A paradox arises: The more the two start to assimilate, the more urgently they draw their borders. The once established difference appears all the more necessary, the clearer it becomes that the border exists only virtually.

Producing at the intersection of direction, choreography and sociological field research, Helena Waldmann has been touring and engaging herself on all continents for more than 20 years. Most recently, Made in Bangladesh with 12 Kathak dancers from Dhaka was nominated for the German theatre prize DER FAUST.