THE COLOGNE PERFORMANCES

first published: 08.03.2014

On May 9th to 11th 2014 the four performances of TABUROPA could be seen in Cologne:

EINTOPF by Agnieszka Blonska
INCUBADORA by Arco Renz
NO RETURN by André Erlen
and SHHHHHHHOW by André Teodosio.

On the guided theatre parcours, which led from the Arkadas-Theatre over artheater and Kölner Künstler Theater to the Design Quartier Ehrenfeld, the power of taboos and taboo-breaking in different societies and contexts was revealed in its great variety. An impressive theatre-journey. 

Performances: 09th, 10th and 11th of May 2014, 19:00 h
Location: Start: Bühne der Kulturen – Arkadas Theater, Platenstr. 32, 50825 Köln. Guided tour via Arkadas-Theater, artheater, Kölner Künstler Theater to Design-Quartier Ehrenfeld.
Participants: kobalt.works (Belgien), Teatro Praga (Portugal), Association of Culture Practitioners (Polen), Futur3 (Deutschland)

EINTOPF
Agnieszka Blonska (Poland) and the Performer of kobalt.works from Belgium: Angel Kaba, Marielle Morales, Sayaka Kaiwa, Igor Shyshko,

Belonging. Being identified. Defined. Replaced. Re-identified. Re-defined. Our stories. Are they really ours? Or are they sank in stories of our nations? Who are we? Here, in United Europe. In the time of political correctness and the world of union and co-existence, how do we relate to ourselves and others? Where are the limits? What don’t we want to talk about? What don’t we want to see? This performance will investigate our concept of coexistence and ability to cohabit. Four dancers with different backgrounds and nationalities through movement and words will explore the idea of identity and belonging. They will also challenge ‘rules’ of theatre questioning identity of an audience and performers.

INCUBADORA
Arco Renz (Belgium) and the Performer from Teatro Praga (Portugal): Rita Morais, Nuno Leão, Ricardo Teixeira, Inês Vaz.

The performance investigates conflicts between the individual and the group, colourful inner tensions that manifest through the body. Taboos are largely dependent on the social and cultural context that they belong to. Rather than trying to represent these dependencies, the research in the frame of TABUROPA has led us to work with “taboos” as human physiological experiences in an experimental lab. The title refers to this situation as well as to the space and processes of exchange between mind and body.

NO RETURN
André Erlen (Germany) and the Performer of the Association of Culture Practitioners from Poland: Dominika Biernat, Dawid Żakowski, Sean Palmer, Joanna Wichowska.

During the research in Lisbon André Erlen and his team were confronted with the thrilling question of the origin of national identity. The golden age of discoveries, soccer and Fatima, colonial-empire, catholicism, saudade and fado: The motivations for building up identity are like a kaleidoscope, which consists not only out of values but also out of taboos: “You are not supposed to question the great history of your country.”But when old images begin to sway, taboos have to be broken and old myths have to be buried. Not only due to the financial crisis, Portugal seems to look for a new basis for common values – and taboos! The performance ‘No return’(deducted from ‚retornados’, homecomers from the former colonies) tries to make these hidden processes visible.

SHHHHHHHOW
André Teodosio (Portugal) and the Performer of futur3 from Germany: Anja Jazeschann, Bernd Rehse, Tomasso Tessitori, Pietro Micci

On the 7th day of the research in Brussels André Teodosio raised and said: “Let there be light.” And his head in the darkness was immediately divided in two: the Prometheican emerged. And with it, he and his group tried to understand the difference between the tree of knowledge and the tree of life, of what is forbidden and what isn't. Do´s and Dont’s as an early-childhood practice into existing taboos through society – this is the key for the staging by the portuguese director André Teodosio.