Kareth Schaffer // Construction Company:
Bird Dances
Bird Dances
German, English with German and English surtitles
10€/15€
The three-part choreographic work Bird Dances is a bird’s eye reflection on borders, feelings of home, reflections on the climate crisis and our kaleidoscopic relationship with the natural world: Kareth Schaffer // Construction Company explore migration – that of birds and that of humans – juxtaposing human and animal movement to re-adjust common narratives with delicately feathered speculations. Bird Dances started with an intensive community-based process of bird observation and the development of new social dances held in the largely rural area of Uecker-Randow, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany and unfolds as a series of workshops, a video installation, and the dance performance at Sophiensæle.
The dance performance Bird Dances features short solos by four dancers whose own biographies intertwine with the stories of four kinds of birds, all of whom spend their lives at least partially in Europe: the marsh warbler, the nightingale, the red kite and so-called “vagrant birds” i.e. bird species that appear in areas far removed from their actual habitat. The inter-related danced monologues are punctuated with movement material drawn from the workshops and costume. The stage design by Dan Lancea maps different spaces, routes and trails within the theater environment.
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 by the day of the event. Therefore, if you find out after you have purchased your ticket that the performance is no longer accessible to you, you can contact us for a ticket return at ticketing@sophiensaele.com or 030 27 89 00 45 until 5 business days after the event (Monday through Friday between 10am and 6pm).
Duration
- 60 minutes
Language
- German, English, Turkish, Luganda spoken language
- German and English surtitles
Stage
- In the stage area, fabric will fall out of a black box
- The performers will walk on stilts in some scenes
Sound
- Some speakers are placed behind the audience
- The performers will sing and recite texts
Audience area
- Seated grandstand
- 2 beanbag seats bookable according to availability
- 2 wheelchair seats bookable according to availability
Early boarding
There is the option of early boarding.
Tickets
- Reservations can be made via the ticket telephone at 030 283 52 66, Monday to Friday from 4pm-6pm
- Via the online ticket shop
- At the box office
You can also find more information about accessibility here.
Choreography, artistic direction: Kareth Schaffer
Dance: Josephine Findeisen, Dani Brown, Michael Kaddu, Sefa Okutan
Music composition: Jean P’ark
Stage design, props: Dan Lancea
Costume design, props: Anna Mirkin
Light design: Elliott Cennetoglu
Video installation: Darcey Bennett
Production management: M.i.C.A. – Movement in Contemporary Art
Special thanks to Monica Gutierrez as a creative writer for the nightingale text and Hassandra for contributing to Sefa’s stage presence for the monologue.
A production by Kareth Schaffer in coproduction with Sophiensæle. Funded by the Hauptstadtkulturfonds. Media partners: Siegessäule, taz.
Kareth Schaffer is artistic director and choreographer of Construction Company and practices an expanded concept of choreography: among other things, her dance pieces have examined ancient monastic practices, jumprope, synchronized swimming, foley, Angela Merkel, emojis, and various modes of storytelling. She shows her work in Germany and internationally, is a Pina Bausch Fellow, and is intensely committed to amassing various forms of (embodied) knowledge.
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© Gedvilė Tamošiūnaitė -
© Gedvilė Tamošiūnaitė -
© Gedvilė Tamošiūnaitė -
© Gedvilė Tamošiūnaitė