Leipzig
June 4- June 8
6/4:
~
Arrived in Leipzig Hauptbahnhof around 15:00
~
Checked into Hotel Berlin
Riebeckstrasse 30
04317 Leipzig
+49 341 267 3000
(55 euros per night, additional charge for optional
breakfast)
~ We took the street train #4 to Augustusplatz (the main
stop/city center), to ask about performances
-Keller Theater and the Leipzig Operahouse
-Information Center
*Pick up
brochures, culture magazines, & newspapers to look up
weekly events in the city
~ Dinner at
the Kleine Traeumerie Restaurant and Cafe Bar Lounge
- Muenzgasse 7. 04107 Leipzig
- We highly recommend this
place. It is very warm, fun, and New York chic.
~ After walking around in the city, we hopped on the street
train back to the hotel.
...and got lost for a little while...terribly lost!
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6/5:
~ Spent three hours at Tanzarchivs Leipzig
Ritterstrasse 9-13
04109 Leipzig
Tel: +49 (0) 341 2310300
Email: info@tanzarchiv-leipzig.de
- We found some extremely valuable sources including
dissertations, newspaper cut outs from 1989-1991, and
books...One dissertation
in particular had a list of company and choreographer
contacts in Berlin that I recorded for my research.
~ After reading German and translating so much information,
we decided to call it quits for the day and grab a bite to
eat at the India Gate in one of the many arcades/malls that
are located here in Leipzig. The food was fantastic!
~ In one of the many culture guides (found in the
information center and hotel), we spotted the opening of an
art exhibition going on in the city center. The event was
located in the Polnisches Institut Leipzig on Markt 10
(www.polinst.de)
- Artist name: Malgorzata Etber-Warlikowska
- Curator: Clotilde Simonis-Gorska
- Genre of work: Graphic Art (multimedia art created with
traditional techniques)
- linocut prints, screen-prints, and oil paintings
- vivid colours, incorporation of text, numerous layers
- underlying meanings are ironic and ambiguous
- she also does ceramic sculptures (her work is featured in
the Akron University collection, NY!)
- Artist's technique: "She chooses an extremely innocent
object and puts it into a context where this innocence is
removed. Her perspective on culture and the way it programs
us shines through each piece."
- Etber was able to speak to us in English, so we asked her
a few questions about her work. She generously explained
her process and specific decisions made throughout.
Different life experiences are incorporated in each piece.
"It is like a perfurme with a base, a body, and a heart.
Its meaning develops every time you look at it."-Etber
- We really appreciated her work, for we could truly relate
to it as dancers. The layering of the prints reminded us of
the choreographic process. If you are traveling, don't sell
yourself short by only attending dance performances, but
integrate yourself fully in the city's culture whether it
is through visual art, music, or dance.
~ Barfussgaesschen is a small alleyway with restaurant
after restaurant with indoor and outside seating. This is
the happening place for people of all ages.
~ Our last stop of the evening was the Weinerie for a glass
of wine.
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6/6:
~ We thought we hit the jackpot when we spotted a brochure
for Tanz Zenit (Lilien Strasse 27, 04315 Leipzig,
+0341-5650504) because they offer Pilates/Yoga,
Professional training, Jazz, Lyrical Jazz, and Hip Hop
classes M-F BUT...
~ We arrived for the 8:45-9:45 Pilates/Yoga class early and
excited that it was only two train stops from our hotel. We
waited outside the locked dance studio for about 30 minutes
hoping and praying that someone would come, but they never
did; we tried calling and ringing the doorbell profusely.
Amazing dance photos on the door teased us, so we waited
some more...But no one came :( We pouted for a while and
left.
~ We stopped at a local fruit market to get some snacks for
the day and returned to the hotel.
~ Found an internet cafe to upload our website
~ Sushi for dinner
~ Photography exhibit at Scarbata. Work by Matthias
Krueger.
- the photographs all incorporated somewhat unpleasant
themes, yet striking nonetheless.
- ex: 'Annabelle'- a picture of a rotting corpse of a
little girl in an opened coffin. Although a terrifying
subject to choose, the artistic choices (angle, distance,
colors, etc.) made it almost beautiful.
- We could only examine these photos for so long, due to
their alarming content...So, we walked back to the
Barfussgaesschen.
~ we came upon a hidden bar in the basement of a restraunt
we stopped at that featureda Piano Boogie Night or better
distinguished as Jazz Night on the Barfussgaesschen.
- Improv jam with various musicians. (4 different piano
players interchanging at will, 1 violinist, 1 clarinet, 2
saxophone players, 2 guitarists, 1 drummer, and 2 singers)
- We spoke with the clarinet player who was open to sharing
his beliefs of music and the effect it can have on both the
musician and the listener. He said, "I had a horrible day,
so I decided to come and play tonight to make me feel
better." We replied how dance can be a form of release as
well, so we know how it feels. We are so grateful to have
the chance to speak with this kind old man, and even moreso
for his heart-felt music.
- So when you are traveling, ask around for local jazz
bars- you are likely to come across some really interesting
people...and have a great time!
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6/7:
~ Back
to the dance archives...
- We made about 30 copies of additional newspaper articles
from 1989-1991. It was an extremely challenging task to
narrow everything down to my specific topic because there
was so much material I wish I could take with me.
Unfortunately, this would require me buying a new suitcase
just for paperwork!
~ To the train station to buy our ticket for tomorrow.
Quite a complicated process due to the size of this train
station. The line included probably about 20 people, but
luckily the wait was only 15 mins. We got our tickets to
Berlin (27 euros each), and returned to the hotel to get
ready for the performance!
~ The premier of "ZeitSpruenge" or "Time Leaps" by Heike
Hennig & Company at the Kellertheater
- We called in advance for tickets, but they said they have
been sold out for weeks. We weren't about to miss this! So
we made ourselves some signs that stated, " Extra
Karten?(Extra Tickets?)" We waited...and waited...People
would walk by and shake their heads apologetically at our
signs. Then, the ticket woman came out to tell us she had
one extra ticket! One down, one to go! Ten minutes until
showtime...Five minutes until showtime, and she came out
again with some fantastic news! Another ticket! We were
shocked, yet ecstatic!
- Moral of the story** Don't ever give up!
:)
******************************************************
*Performance Review"
-
Choreography: Heike Hennig
- Music: Autechre, cfm, cinematic orchestra, Sakamoto,
Mahler, Della Reese, dictaphone, and Bach. (mixed by Connie
Mueller)
- Dancers: Ursula Cain, Horst Dittmann, Timo Draheim,
Christa Franze, Nina Patricial Haenel, Sahra Huby,
Christine Joy Alpuerto Ritter, Siegfried Proelss, Michael
Veit
- In the program a list of words served as a
"description/explanation" of the piece. For instance,
"existence, curiosity, wishes, angle, work, heating up,
together, craniosacral, simply, litanei, etc. Reading these
before allowed for a different experience. They didn't give
the meaning of the piece away, but gave you hints and
things to look for in the choreography. We would say they
succeeded in embodying all of these words.
- ZeitSpruenge brought together performers of various ages
(from 20-87), each individual embodying their own movement
styles that were purposely incorporated into the
choreography. The distinct differences led us to formulate
our own storylines.
- The relationships between performers were as real as can
be. We could feel the positive energy spilling off of the
stage and into the audience watching them dance together
onstage. At one point, when Ursula Cain (around 80) was
dancing (truly from her soul, despite the physical
challenges of aging), several audience members seated
around us began sniffling. People we crying because this
performance was so moving! We got the chills!
- Each section had such contrasting dynamics, yet the
transitions seemed to work (both abrupt and smooth were
chosen at different times). The emotional qualities exuded
through the physicality and the music.
- Overall, the performers won over the viewers through
their 'realness'. We believe that through the 'acting' of
dance, they were genuinely having the time of their
lives...Something that we as dancers are even more
sensitive to than the non-dancer viewers. This was a
wonderful experience, an we would like to thank the woman
at the ticket counter for making our time in Leipzig extra
special!
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6/8:
~
Packed up, went to the train station (got hair cuts at
Super Cuts in the train station while we were
waiting...P.S. They turned out great!)...and off to Berlin!