After the pandemic is the new now - meeting new challenges for contemporary dance in Munich.
To give a face to the diversity of the dance scene in Munich, professional video portraits were created by seven choreographers of the Munich independent scene. In the spirit of the project title "7 thoughts about dance", Jasmine Ellis, Stephan Herwig, Anna Konjetzky, Ceren Oran, Moritz Ostruschnjak, Micha Purucker and Diego Tortelli provide insight into their working methods and choreographic ways of thinking. Dance-makers of different generations were selected, all of whom have an unmistakable aesthetic signature: Micha Purucker, the "grand seigneur" of the scene who has been active since the 1980s; Anna Konjetzky, a queer feminist who has been touring internationally for more than two decades; Stephan Herwig, a purist who originally came from the Purucker company; Jasmine Ellis, a film and stage choreographer with a penchant for cross-disciplinary work, the mash-up specialist with TikTok dramaturgy Moritz Ostruschnjak, Ceren Oran, who produces for young and adult audiences alike and has a preference for public space, and Diego Tortelli, who plays with technology and scientific theories.
The Artists
The films were conceived and realized by the creative producer Miria Wurm, the interviews with the choreographers were conducted by the choreographer Terry Kohler. With the filmmaker Anne Gryczka from Rue Nouvelle/Paris and her sister Marie (photography, assistant director), congenial companions were found. Each dance maker was given a day of filming in their own setting, during which the interviews were conducted and rehearsal situations were partly filmed. The exclusively shot material is supplemented by film clips of already existing works in order to depict the range of the artists' respective work: "In developing the artist portraits, the literal portrait idea was most important to me, i.e. to show the head, the person behind the art. On the one hand, I always find illuminating the background extremely exciting, because it shows the process and the thoughts behind the pieces, which actually only show a snapshot and an actual state in front of an audience at a certain point in time. On the other hand, I think we always look for the person behind the art, since it is this person with whom we want to enter into exchange - the art only serves as an interface." (Miria Wurm)
In addition to the film material, portrait photos of all participating choreographers were taken during the shooting week (photography: Marie Gryczka) as well as behind-the-scenes footage for social media (social media manager: Sara Kurig). The resulting photo, video and social media material serves various purposes: on the one hand, it is part of the media campaign for contemporary dance in Munich; on the other hand, it is subsequently made available to the artists for their own promotional purposes. The background to this is that very few choreographers are financially able to produce professional video portraits. With "7 thoughts about dance" the TANZBÜRO MÜNCHEN wants to support, empower and professionalize the actors of the independent scene with regard to their public presentation.
International Dance Fair 2022 / Düsseldorf
In addition to the visibility in the city of Munich, a national and international charisma and networking of the Munich independent scene are important aspects in the work of the TANZBÜROS. For this reason, the TANZBÜRO team, together with the seven choreographers of "7 thoughts about dance" and other Munich dance professionals, will participate in the International Dance Fair in Düsseldorf from August 31 to September 3, 2022. There, the TANZBÜRO MÜNCHEN, together with other offices and networks, will be represented with its own booth under the overarching title "Dance from Germany" on the initiative of the Dachverband Tanz. This first opportunity of a strong and concerted fair appearance of the German offices and networks will be used to present the Munich artists:inside optimally in the context of different discussion and presentation formats. In addition to the video portraits and a trailer about Tanzbüro München, which can be shown at the trade fair stand and via a server independent of location, the TANZBÜRO team is developing suitable exchange and presentation formats and additional promotional material, among other things within the framework of "Dance from Germany". In this way, interested visitors to the fair can gain an insight into current productions and the respective working methods of the participating choreographers. This should support them in the acquisition of guest performances and the search for cooperation partners for future projects.
"We at TANZBÜRO are convinced of the enormous potential of contemporary dance from Munich. The independent scene is diverse, works on a high artistic level and has individual signatures. Especially the pandemic years have shown that physicality, community, live events are irreplaceable. Also, togetherness across language and attitude boundaries is more important than ever - dance in all its facets can build bridges here."
"7 thoughts about dance" is supported by DIEHL+ RITTER /TANZPAKT RECONNECT, funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media as part of the initiative NEUSTART KULUTUR. Support program dance.
TANZBÜRO MÜNCHEN is supported by the Cultural Department of the City of Munich.
