Dance
60 minutes
location: thim, theater für niedersachsen (tfn)
from 12 years

Friday, September 13th, 08:00 pm ticket

Saturday, September 14th, 02:00 pm ticket
(with post-performance discussion)

PERSPECTIVES is an artistic exploration of experiences of racism in the form of microaggressions. Racism is a form of discrimination. Through racism, people are discriminated against, excluded and devalued because of their skin colour or their name, for example. Microaggressions are a form of racism. That can be looks, gestures and statements in everyday life that are offensive and abusive.

The performance brings the perspectives of female assumed Black people and people of Color* living in Switzerland and Europe to the stage in an unsparing and powerful way. This creates a space for confrontation, debate and vulnerability.

*People of Color is a self-designation of people who experience racism.

 A safer space is offered for people affected by racism.

© Laura Gauch & Muriel Rieben

Content Notes:

At the beginning of the piece, white audience members are not allowed to take their seats directly, but remain standing together on the stage.

The performers sit in the stands, together with Black and PoC audience members, and reproduce microaggressions that they themselves have experienced. They talk about and to the spectators on stage. They ask intrusive questions. This can feel uncomfortable for Black and PoC audience members as well as for white audience members.

The performers will speak in German. There will be a person from the festival who can translate into English.

After the scene, all audience members are allowed to take their seats and the performers dance on stage. It is dark in some scenes and the atmosphere is very tense due to the powerful movements of the dancers. There is no spoken language in this part, but there is music.

At the end of the play, one scene is spoken. It is spoken in English. In this scene, the performers also mention sentences and questions that they have often had to hear, which are racist. 

At the end, the dancers invite all Black people and PoC affected by racism to come on stage if they wish.

After the play, the English texts that were spoken are displayed in the foyer with a German translation.

For this production, Anna Chiedza Spörri is working with a majority BIPoC (Black and Indigenous People of Colour) team. For Anna, the artistic collaboration with people affected by racism is essential for this production, as PERSPECTIVES tells of racist experiences. In this way, she creates a safe space for the people who tell their personal stories in this production and bring them to the stage.

Anna Chiedza Spörri lives in Bern and works as a dancer, choreographer and activist. With her diverse dance experience and academic training in social anthropology, she focusses on activist art. She fuses her dance styles and works with text and spoken word. She often deals with identity issues, delves into very personal topics and creates an intimacy with her pieces that encourages people to question their own norms. Anna reflects her realities in her art and wants to create access for POC artists as well as promote empowerment. Her current project PERSPECTIVES is a collaboration with café révolution and a co-production with Schlachthaus Theater Bern and has already been shown as a work in progress as part of the OH BODYFestival 2021 as well as PREMIO 2022 at Zeughaus Kultur Brig.

Eshidoreen Paradiso is a dance artist, activist and choreographer from Oslo, Norway. She trained in dance in Paris at the Juste debout school, where she learnt about street dance culture. Since then she has participated in dance battles, theatre plays and performing arts. She is an active co-founder or performative dance artist in various artistic contexts. She participates in artistic projects for stages presented both nationally and internationally. She is a member of the Sister Sister Crew and the dance collective bseksten with 22 black women.

Sophie Chioma Gerber began her training at the Höheren Fachschule für zeitgenössischen und urbanen Bühnentanz (Higher Technical College for Contemporary and Urban Stage Dance) immediately after completing her studies at the Sports High School, specialising in dance. During this time, she danced intensively and trained in various styles. Her diversity as a dancer makes her unique; she can offer everything from hip-hop and jazz contemporary to fusion and modern. She started dancing at the New Dance Academy in Bern at the age of five. She now gives various lessons and substitutions in the Bern region. She has been travelling all over Switzerland as a professional dancer for two years and has already participated in various productions.

Gifti Tekako is a dancer in Bern who discovered her passion for hip-hop as a child, be it in music or dance. It is very important to her to dance for a piece that she can identify with. Gifti has danced in several pieces by Anna Chiedza Spörri, as well as in A seat at the table at the Rosengarten, by Anna Chiedza Spörri and Rena Brandenberger. In 2022, she took part in a dance programme at the Ecole des Sables in Toubab Dialaw, Senegal, and learned a lot about Germaine Acogny's technique, taught by Alesandra Seutin, and about Sabar, the traditional dance of Senegal. Gifti is constantly continuing her education and will soon be interning in the Alleyne Dance company's production Far from Home.

© Roberto Ecclesia

Further Links

Anna Chiedza Spörri

Dance
60 minutes
location: thim, theater für niedersachsen (tfn)
from 12 years

Friday, September 13th, 08:00 pm ticket

Saturday, September 14th, 02:00 pm ticket
(with post-performance discussion)

PERSPECTIVES is an artistic exploration of experiences of racism in the form of microaggressions. Racism is a form of discrimination. Through racism, people are discriminated against, excluded and devalued because of their skin colour or their name, for example. Microaggressions are a form of racism. That can be looks, gestures and statements in everyday life that are offensive and abusive.

The performance brings the perspectives of female assumed Black people and people of Color* living in Switzerland and Europe to the stage in an unsparing and powerful way. This creates a space for confrontation, debate and vulnerability.

*People of Color is a self-designation of people who experience racism.

 A safer space is offered for people affected by racism.

© Laura Gauch & Muriel Rieben

Content Notes:

At the beginning of the piece, white audience members are not allowed to take their seats directly, but remain standing together on the stage.

The performers sit in the stands, together with Black and PoC audience members, and reproduce microaggressions that they themselves have experienced. They talk about and to the spectators on stage. They ask intrusive questions. This can feel uncomfortable for Black and PoC audience members as well as for white audience members.

The performers will speak in German. There will be a person from the festival who can translate into English.

After the scene, all audience members are allowed to take their seats and the performers dance on stage. It is dark in some scenes and the atmosphere is very tense due to the powerful movements of the dancers. There is no spoken language in this part, but there is music.

At the end of the play, one scene is spoken. It is spoken in English. In this scene, the performers also mention sentences and questions that they have often had to hear, which are racist. 

At the end, the dancers invite all Black people and PoC affected by racism to come on stage if they wish.

After the play, the English texts that were spoken are displayed in the foyer with a German translation.

Artistic direction & choreography: Anna Chiedza Spörri

Dance: Anna Chiedza Spörri, Sophie Chioma Gerber, Gifti Tekako, Eshidoreen Paradiso

Supporting programme: café révolution (Mona-Lisa Kole, Naomi Chinasa Bögli & Pascale Altenburger)

Production management: Andrea Grossenbacher & Gifti Tekako

Scenography: Harumi Mumenthaler, Anna Chiedza Spörri, Gaëlle da Costa

Music: Kadjali Kaba "Kali"

Costume: Gaëlle da Costa

Technical direction: Daniel Tschanz

Technical assistance: Ariadna Martinez
Oeil Extérieur: Johanna Hilari, Rena Brandenburger, Sarafina Beck

Assistance: Simisola Oke, Earle Garnette 

Co-produced with: Schlachthaus Theatre Bern & café révolution

For this production, Anna Chiedza Spörri is working with a majority BIPoC (Black and Indigenous People of Colour) team. For Anna, the artistic collaboration with people affected by racism is essential for this production, as PERSPECTIVES tells of racist experiences. In this way, she creates a safe space for the people who tell their personal stories in this production and bring them to the stage.

Anna Chiedza Spörri lives in Bern and works as a dancer, choreographer and activist. With her diverse dance experience and academic training in social anthropology, she focusses on activist art. She fuses her dance styles and works with text and spoken word. She often deals with identity issues, delves into very personal topics and creates an intimacy with her pieces that encourages people to question their own norms. Anna reflects her realities in her art and wants to create access for POC artists as well as promote empowerment. Her current project PERSPECTIVES is a collaboration with café révolution and a co-production with Schlachthaus Theater Bern and has already been shown as a work in progress as part of the OH BODYFestival 2021 as well as PREMIO 2022 at Zeughaus Kultur Brig.

Eshidoreen Paradiso is a dance artist, activist and choreographer from Oslo, Norway. She trained in dance in Paris at the Juste debout school, where she learnt about street dance culture. Since then she has participated in dance battles, theatre plays and performing arts. She is an active co-founder or performative dance artist in various artistic contexts. She participates in artistic projects for stages presented both nationally and internationally. She is a member of the Sister Sister Crew and the dance collective bseksten with 22 black women.

Sophie Chioma Gerber began her training at the Höheren Fachschule für zeitgenössischen und urbanen Bühnentanz (Higher Technical College for Contemporary and Urban Stage Dance) immediately after completing her studies at the Sports High School, specialising in dance. During this time, she danced intensively and trained in various styles. Her diversity as a dancer makes her unique; she can offer everything from hip-hop and jazz contemporary to fusion and modern. She started dancing at the New Dance Academy in Bern at the age of five. She now gives various lessons and substitutions in the Bern region. She has been travelling all over Switzerland as a professional dancer for two years and has already participated in various productions.

Gifti Tekako is a dancer in Bern who discovered her passion for hip-hop as a child, be it in music or dance. It is very important to her to dance for a piece that she can identify with. Gifti has danced in several pieces by Anna Chiedza Spörri, as well as in A seat at the table at the Rosengarten, by Anna Chiedza Spörri and Rena Brandenberger. In 2022, she took part in a dance programme at the Ecole des Sables in Toubab Dialaw, Senegal, and learned a lot about Germaine Acogny's technique, taught by Alesandra Seutin, and about Sabar, the traditional dance of Senegal. Gifti is constantly continuing her education and will soon be interning in the Alleyne Dance company's production Far from Home.

Trailer

© Roberto Ecclesia