New accents at “Tanz im August”: Ricardo Carmona brings exciting newcomers to Berlin

Dance moves and broadens the horizon! This can be experienced at the summer festivals, where choreographers from all over the world come together. The performances not only offer a sensory experience, they also respond to an increasingly digitized world and show a variety of perspectives.

A detour to the fabrik Potsdam, located on the Tiefen See, is always worthwhile. The Potsdam Dance Days 2023 will take place here until June 11th. In its 33rd edition, the festival for contemporary dance presents twelve productions. This time the choreographers come from Palestine, Germany, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Canada, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France and Sweden. In their works they deal with the crises of our time in very different ways.

The festival was opened by Mette Ingvartsen, who presented her play “Moving in Concert” on the main stage of the Hans Otto Theater. The Danish choreographer explored the extent to which technologies are still active in our bodies, even after all devices have been switched off. A political statement is “Every Minute Motherland” (June 9-10) by Maciej Kuźmiński. The Polish choreographer worked on it with refugee Ukrainian dancers and shows how the horror of war is inscribed on their bodies.

Street dance meets folklore

Tanz im August also offers a diverse and dense programme. The festival organized by HAU Hebbel am Ufer will perform on several stages in Berlin from August 9th to 26th. It will be interesting to see what accents the new artistic director Ricardo Carmona will set. In any case, the Portuguese has decided to bring some exciting newcomers to Berlin. The festival will open with “Carcaça” by Marco da Silva Ferreira.

The Portuguese has explored urban dance styles with Afro-American influences. A ten-strong ensemble, accompanied live by percussion and electronics, combines contemporary street dance with traditional folk dances. In the piece, Da Silva Ferreira explores how a collective identity is formed – and how traditions change in the context of colonialism.

Rhythm, movement, energy

The three-strong collective (La)Horde took over the management of the Ballet National de Marseille in 2019 – and has been causing a sensation ever since. Hordes of all ages appear in their turbulent performances. In “Age of Content” the trio deals with the power of the virtual. The choreography combines different influences from action films to musicals. The intrepid dancers try out dance styles that have already gone viral and also dare some stunts.

We can look forward to seeing Serge Aimé Coulibaly and the Faso Danse Théâtre again. The choreographer from Burkina Faso has created his new piece “C’est la vie” for seven dancers and two musicians. It is a departure after the restrictions of the past three years – and an invitation to dedicate yourself to the joys of life. Rhythm, movement, energy: the community celebrates being together in an exuberant way.

With Kat Válastur, Tanz im August presents one of the most exciting choreographers on the Berlin dance scene. For “Strong-Born” the Greek was inspired by the tragedy “Iphigenie in Aulis” by Euripides. The three dancers, accompanied by drummer Valentina Magaletti, produce their own sounds in this contemporary ritual. Válastur reinterprets the victim story as a tale of resistance and female self-empowerment.

The Staatsballett Berlin on new territory

At the end of the season, the Staatsballett Berlin is venturing into new territory. In a co-production with the Pina Bausch Foundation, the company will interpret a work by the legendary choreographer for the first time. Bausch created “The Rite of Spring” to music by Stravinsky in 1975 for the Wuppertal Tanztheater. Former and still active dancers of the Wuppertal Ensemble will rehearse the piece in Berlin (premier on June 10th in the Berlin State Opera).

“The Rite of Spring” is combined with Marco Goecke’s dance piece “Petruschka”, which was created in 2016 for the Zurich Ballet. The choreographer recently caused a scandal: he smeared dog feces on a critic’s face. As a result, some companies took his works off the schedule. It is a courageous decision that the State Ballet is holding on to the “Petrushka” premiere. Separating person and work is correct. The viewers now have the chance to form their own impression of what distinguishes Marco Goecke as a choreographer.