Acker Stadt Palast, Berlin Mitte, 7th–8th December 2024
-Yu Bai
In the heart of Berlin’s Mitte district, Rooted: Pitch & Perform transformed Acker Stadt Palast into a hub of creativity and connection. Produced by Apricot Productions, the two-day event celebrated dance, theater, and storytelling through works-in-progress performances that softened the divide between performer and spectator. From sensorial playgrounds to dances steeped in diaspora, the weekend was a kaleidoscope of creations that challenged perceptions while fostering a sense of community.
Saturday Evening: Purses, Touch, and Diasporic Dreams
The evening opened with "Manpurse", choreographed by the Danish dynamo Kasper Jakobsen's. A purse on stage might seem a peculiar muse, but Jakobsenis turned it into a Pandora’s box of the quotidian and the absurd. With the audience encircling the performers, the trio dressed in sunny yellows pulled from the purse a surreal inventory - an iron & axe, a mirror, and a high heel. The choreography danced along the thin line between whimsy and gravity, offering a reflection on the minutiae of modern life. Yet, like rummaging through someone else’s bag, the piece left us with more questions than answers.
Next was "On Touch", Paola Paulis’s sensorial experiment that transformed the stage into a tactile wonderland. Blindfolded and earmuffed, audience members became participants, guided by three performers through a realm where touch was the only language. In a world dulled by digital overstimulation, this piece felt like a gentle rebellion - a reminder of the intimacy of contact. While its execution sometimes faltered under the weight of its own ambition, Paulis’s creation sparked a tender curiosity that lingered long after the masks came off.
Closing Saturday was the evening’s most emotionally resonant work: "Les Gens Bless(és)", a duet by Lia Estelle Widmaier and Johnshades. Against a backdrop of Haitian folk and contemporary movement, the two performers embodied the resilience of a diaspora shaped by historical trauma. Their flowing white costumes mirrored the choreography’s pendulum swings between smooth grace and sharp dynamism. Each movement told a story, each step a testament to memory and hope. It was a visceral reminder that dance is both a preservation of heritage and a defiance of its erasure.
Sunday Evening: Fear and Fluidity
Sunday night’s performances began with a surprising shift in tone. "Don’t Be Scared", a clown show by Ash Willison and Lisa Ullrich, brought the audience face-to-face with their fears - and their laughter. Emerging from the shadows in eerie white face paint and exaggerated black eyes, the performers invited us into their strange, darkly humorous world. With songs, improvisation, and audience participation, they explored the allure and absurdity of fear with a childlike curiosity that was both disarming and profound. It was a reminder that laughter can be as much a tool for understanding as it is for escape.
Closing the event was "Counter-clock: العبور", a duet by RYA DanceCompany. Drawing from Salvador Dalí’s The Persistence of Memory, performers Reem Naamani and Alex Truglio explored the elasticity of time and the resilience of the human spirit. Nude-toned costumes and warm lighting created a stark, intimate stage where each movement carried the weight of memory. Across six acts, the choreography wove a dreamscape of dislocation and longing. Fragmented yet cohesive, it mirrored the puzzle of processing trauma, inviting the audience to reflect on what it means to belong.
Where Movement Meets Meaning
Rooted: Pitch & Perform was more than a showcase of dance and theater; it was an invitation to engage with art in its raw, evolving state. The performances, though unfinished, were alive with possibility, offering audiences a glimpse into the creative journey. In Berlin, where art often feels commodified, Rooted stood out as a reminder of the beauty in imperfection. It emphasized connection, vulnerability, and the shared experience of creating and witnessing art. While not every piece was fully realized, each contributed to a larger dialogue about the process and purpose of performance.
As I left Acker Stadt Palast, I felt grounded and inspired. Rooted didn’t just celebrate movement and storytelling; it celebrated the messiness of creativity itself, reminding us that the process is just as meaningful as the outcome.
Yorumlar