James Batchelor & Collaborators: Shortcuts to Familiar Places | Oct 17-20 | SOPHIENSÆLE – Sophiensæle | Independent Theater in Berlin
James Batchelor & Collaborators:
Shortcuts to Familiar Places
Shortcuts to Familiar Places
PREMIERE
OCTOBER 19 | Performance with German audio description. The preceding stage tour takes place from 19:00-19:30. A pick-up service from the nearby S-Bahn and U-Bahn stops can be arranged via 030 27 89 00 30 or barrierefreiheit@sophiensaele.com.
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE GERMAN AUDIO FLYER.
A personal performance about the body as a site of inscription. In a fascinating excavation of Australian modern dance history, James Batchelor has been tracing a lineage through his childhood dance teacher Ruth Osborne to the modern dance pioneer Gertrud Bodenwieser. Bodenwieser came to Australia as a refugee from Vienna during WW2, inspiring generations with her visionary approach to dance education and choreography. In a solo and two duets, James Batchelor explores new artistic ways to embrace the complexity of self-expression in contemporary times – while echoing the free spirit of the expressive dance (Ausdruckstanz) era.
If any questions remain from the following information, please feel free to contact Hannah Aldinger at barrierefreiheit@sophiensaele.com or 030 27 89 00 35. Please note that details may change until the day of the event.
The show lasts 50-55 minutes without an intermission and is suitable for an audience of 12 years or older. In several scenes, video sequences are projected onto a screen. In those sequences, there will be English spoken language with English ans German subtitles. The spoken parts are short and not essential to understand the work. The audience is seated in the dark. The light on-stage is mostly bright and focused around the dancers. There are shadow effects on the floor and the rear screen. Sometimes it gets loud. Then, the volume is building up and down. There are no surprising or jarring sounds. The audience area on the grandstand is seated.
For the performance on 19 October, there is an audio description in German with a preceding tactile tour for blind and visually impaired people. The tactile tour begins 60 minutes before the performance. The meeting point is at the box office in the Sophiensaele courtyard. Ticket reservations are accepted by Hannah Aldinger at barrierefreiheit@sophiensale.com or by calling 030 278900 35. If required, we offer a pick-up service for blind and visually impaired persons from the nearby S-Bahn and U-Bahn stations Hackescher Markt and Weinmeisterstraße. To make use of the pick-up service, please contact us during our business hours (Monday to Friday between 10 am and 6 pm) at 030 27 89 00 30 or barrierefreiheit@sophiensaele.com.
The audience area on the grandstand is seated. There are two wheelchair seats and two beanbag seats, which can be reserved or purchased at the online ticket store or box office, depending on availability. If you need a specific seat or a more relaxed admission due to visible or invisible disabilities, please arrive 20-30 minutes before the performance begins to take advantage of our early boarding offer.
CHOREOGRAPHY, PERFORMANCE James Batchelor STAGE DIRECTOR Bek Berger COMPOSITION Morgan Hickinbotham PERFORMANCE Chloe Chignell LIGHT DESIGN Vinny Jones COSTUME DESIGN Juliane König VIDEO MONTAGE Margie Medlin VIDEOGRAPHY James Batchelor CHOREOGRAPHIC CONSULTATION Ruth Osborne, Eileen Kramer, Carol Brown RESEARCH CONSULTATION Michelle Potter PUBLIC RELATIONS COLLABORATOR Micha Tsouloukidse DANCE INTERN Caspar Ilschner
A production by James Batchelor and Collaborators in coproduction with SOPHIENSÆLE. Funded by the Capital Cultural Fund and the Australia Council for the Arts, Tanja Liedtke Foundation, Michael Adena and Joanne Daly. With support of Tanzhaus nrw, QL2 Dance, Belconnen Arts Centre, Cocoon Dance, Trauma Bar und Kino, and Theaterhaus Mitte. Media partner: taz, die tageszeitung.
JAMES BATCHELOR is a choreographer and performer from Canberra, Australia. His artistic practice includes movement research and performance creation, international touring and teaching. His most recent work includes “An Evening-length Performance” which premiered at Tanz im August (Sophiensaele) and toured to Tanzhaus nrw (Düsseldorf), Theatre de Vanves (Paris) and December Dance (Brugge) in 2021. His solo work Hyperspace was selected to be part of the Aerowaves platform in 2019 and has since been presented over 50 times in Europe and Australia.