mixed media
Year: 2024
Choreography: Ben Werneke
Camera: An Do, Ben Werneke, Lilly Köpke, Silja Werneke, Nadia Jahanshahi
Sound: Carlo Seemann, Ben Werneke
Light: An Do
Editing: Ben Werneke
Animation: Ben Werneke
Special Thanks: Herwig Scherabon, Tamara Knapp, Carlo Seemann, Lilly Köpke, An Do, Big Mama, Dancer Dean, Dannyson, Hiro, Park Jimin, Baby G, Popping Hood
Songs:
Grand Allegro: Big Waltz - Gill Civil
Lie - BTS
Gems - Interlude - Little Simz
Lost Ones - Ms. Lauryn Hill
Buddha Stretch - koredanceacademy (Instagram, 19.04.2024)
Got to Be Real - Cheryl Lynn
THE GREATEST COOKING SHOW OF ALL TIME - OFWGKTA (Youtube)
Animal - Jo Kwon, j-hope
I AM MILES - MILESCHRONICLES, Miles Mckenna (Youtube)
might bang, might not - Little Simz
Inside Erykah Badu's Spiritual Home Studio Filled With Wonderful Objects - Vogue (Youtube)
Yun (with Erykha Badu) - RM, Erykha Badu
staying true to yourself - Sorahyang (Instagram, 19.04.2024)
SOS - Little Simz
Henry Link - Hope On the Street Documentary, Episode 4
Power - Little Simz
Identity can be fleeting the same way a performance is. Once the move is done it’s over. Identity is a never ending performance, especially gender identity, and it can be just as ephemeral.
Dancing has always been my way of life. When I started ballet at 3 years old I entered a very rigid structure with which I still have a love and hate relationship. When I started examining myself and growing into who I always was supposed to become, my interest in different dance styles broadend.
Now I am still working on connecting every part of the dances I love in order to reach my full potential as a living being.
In this work I engaged with very complex topics such as hegemonic masculinity, gender roles, and colonialism through dancing. Since dance is a source of joy for many creatures - myself included - I wanted to express my feelings in a playful and silly way. There is no healing and liberation without fun and play.
While the first half of the video was carefully choreographed by myself, the second half is all freestyle. It was important for the journey to become more and more free. In freestyle whatever you show in the moment is exactly what you get. You always have to ask yourself how you can close the gap between the enviornment and yourself.