Breaking Performance + The End of the Western + Desist III

Whites and blacks

In 2005 Monika Gintersdorfer and Knut Klassen stepped ashore in Ivory Coast. It was the start of a series of artistic transfers between the West African metropolis Abidjan and the European art and theatre scene. However, the work of this German artist duo differs radically from that of many other theatre-makers who go to Africa. Gintersdorfer/Klassen is definitely not looking for a mutually inspiring intercultural exchange. Rather, they emphasise the differences between whites and blacks and, moreover, these contradictions are the driving force behind their idiosyncratic performances. With their performers they form a close group of dancing, clubbing, drinking, rapping and DJ-ing artists – who are often superstars in their own country. Together they create theatre to the irresistible rhythm of the heartbeat of the Abidjan club and performance scene.
  
At Spoken World 10 the company made its first appearance at Kaaitheater with Othello, c'est qui? Now they will be taking over the Kaaistudio’s for a whole weekend. Every night there will be an all-round happening with at least two performances, a ‘lifestyle show’, music and partying!

‘In our work we speak of Blacks and Whites, highly incorrect and imprecise, but therefore often close to the way of thinking that defines a reality that is incorrect and imprecise. We think in two systems and make performances that are loved and hated by European and African audiences with a thousand misunderstandings.’ – Monika Gintersdorfer (ZEIT)

Desist III
To desist means stop, cease, reject. In this dance performance, Ivorian and German dance performers and musicians create new life stories for each other only to reject them again. Desist III is a radical formal experiment in which language is instantly transformed into dance.

The International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court in The Hague was founded in 2002. Thirteen of the cases that have been brought before the court since then have involved African countries. In these proceedings, the sound in the public gallery can be switched off at any time. What you then see are rituals, but you have to guess what is being said. In their performances, Gintersdorf/Klassen alternate speech and dance (in silence). An incisive piece on the tension between ideal and practice.

La Jet Set
‘People do not love others, they love the other’s money.’ Président Douk Saga, Lino Versace, Boro Sangui, Le Molare are all superstars of the Ivorian music and dance scene – in the immigrant community in Paris they are known as the Jet Set. They combine the glamour of stardom with poor living conditions in social housing blocks. In the nightclubs of the city of light they have launched a new trend: Couper Decaler. DJs sing stories about a jet-set world in which immigrants rise to become a banker, an ambassador or even president. This artistic movement became a success all over West Africa. La Jet Set is a subversive idea, an exuberant mix of politics and entertainment.