Travesty for Advanced Performers

Collective social identities often develop through the exclusion of unconventional values. Rallying calls to preserve unique characteristics and traditions prove effective time and again with the result that changes or deviations from the norm are rejected or discriminated against. “Travesty for Advanced Performers” aimed to undermine static, one-dimensional social models, closed-minded concepts and lifestyles. The projects focused on topics such as migration, homosexuality and inclusion, which neo-conservative and populist opinion-makers often pounce on in an attempt to control of the narrative. In the new wing of the GfZK in Leipzig, a theatrical exhibition on a rotating stage served as the venue for individual presentations, dance performances, lectures and workshops. The project was especially interested in collective and personal identities which find themselves in the process of transformation. A dramaturgical concept for the exhibition has been developed together with the choreographer Heike Hennig which expressed various aspects of transformation in staged scenes and dance routines. “Travesty for Advanced Performers“ also reflected on how an art institution works. How can critical discourse and its artistic reflection exert influence on public perception? The project aimed to reach a broad spectrum of audiences by collaborating with local and international institutions in Paris, Vienna and Moscow. The project has been accompanied by a publication in the form of a script which can be continued anytime.

Artistic director: Julya Kurz, Julya Schäfer, Franciska Zolyóm
Assistent: Katrin Kappenberger
Dramaturge for the dance and acting sequences: Heike Hennig
Graphic appearance / set design: Annalena von Helldorff and Toni Schönbuchner, bürototal
Artists: Fender Schrade, Ann Sofie-Sidén (SE), Katrina Daschner (AT), Katharina Lampert, Nana Hülseweig, Grit Hachmeister, Henrik Olesen (DK), Christine Hill (US) & Sebastian Helm and Students, Clemens von Wedemeyer & Students, Michaela Schweiger and Students, Anna Witt (AT), Heike Hennig & Company, Hoelb/Hoeb (AT) and others

Additional Venues:

brut, Vienna: March 2015; Laboratoires d’Aubervilliers, Paris: October 2015