>> Connection Dance Center 2023

Twelve young amateur dancers were selected for the second Connection Dance Center and trained & rehearsed weekly from March 2023. The rehearsals led to the The rehearsals led to the micro-performance „WILLIS“, which was performed together with an open rehearsal in various venues in Hanover: at the Staatsoper Hannover as part of the Ostertanztage 2023,at the EISFABRIK Hannover as part of the tanzOFFensive and at the Tanzhaus AhrbergViertel on the open day.

At the same time, the young dancers got to know choreographies by Goyo Montero, Sofia Nappi and Marco Goecke by shadowing at the Staatsballett Hannover and accompanying the multi-part evening “Spiel des Lebens”. There was also an internship at the EISFABRIK Hannover during the tanzOFFensive at LANDERER & COMPANY.

The Connection Dance Center 2023 took place from March to May 2023.

,,WILLIS”

„Willis” is an experimental dance performance with 12 dancers and an original composition about romantic clichés of femininity and the reality of life of female dancers in the era of romanticism and in the present. „Willis” sees itself as a choreographic experiment in search of a contemporary romantic aesthetic and formal language.

Performances:

>> Staatsoper Hannover, as part of the Ostertanztage / Generation TANZ___10 April 2023

>> Tanzhaus AhrbergViertel ___22 April 2023

>> EISFABRIK Hannover, as part of the tanzOFFensive 2023___21 May 2023

>> FÖSSTIVAL Hannover___4. June 2023

Artistic direction / Choreography >> Mónica García Vicente

Composition >> Maewen Forest

Accompanist >> Emre Kesim

Costume >> Luzie Nehls-Neuhaus

Social Media/Video >> Laura Nicole Viganó

Production management >> Sophie Thuma

Dancers >>
Annika Dörrie
Emma Hesse
Valeska Hinz
Amélie Krüger
Pia Krüger
Juline Lege
Sarah Lueder
Emma Luise Möllmann
Vera Reinicke
Laura Schepers
Maria Windmöller
Laura-Constanze Wirl

Graphics >> Maïté Müller

Photography >> Peter Hoffmann-Schoenborn

Kompetenznachweis Kultur >>
Laura van Joolen (Head)
Alexandra Jedrych (Consultant)
Bettina Paletta (Consultant)

The Connection Dance Center is a cooperation with the cultural children and youth education in the field of district culture of the state capital Hanover. The participants are accompanied by consultants from the Kompetenznachweis Kultur and the cultural children and youth education of the state capital Hanover.

The Connection Dance Center culminated in 2023 with the participation of Emma Hesse and Laura Schepers in the creative process for „I am [not] Giselle“. Through this experience and with the support of Mónica García Vicente, they created their own choreography „[don‘t] look“, which they were able to show to a large dance audience on three evenings in the Pavillon Hannover as the opening act of „I am [not] Giselle“.

The two describe their dance performance as follows: „[don‘t] look“ describes the relationship between the gaze in public space and the body read as female. How do we show ourselves? What social reactions do we get to our bodies? How do we deal with these glances? The two dancers go through various phases of confrontation. They grow, are ashamed, proud, confused, defiant and exhausted. They try to create space for themselves and not collapse under the social demands placed on their femininity. It is a balancing act, a maelstrom and a multi-layered struggle for, with and against femininity in our society.

Cast: Emma Hesse, Laura Schepers
Performances: 9./10./12.11.2023