Dance Voucher – Round 1
Date: 01.01. – 30.06.2019
As part of the project, we offered three Deaf and/or disabled dance enthusiasts the opportunity to take part in various dance courses for six months and to cover the costs with a voucher of 500€. Partners of the project could be asked to help with the selection of trainings and any other queries. With the voucher, we wanted to encourage Deaf and disabled dance enthusiasts to discover the Berlin dance scene without encountering financial barriers.
Participatory Research Group (Led by: Bernhard Richarz)
Date 31.01. – 12.12.2019
The research group led by Bernhard Richarz (tanzfähig) investigated how inclusive teaching in dance can succeed, what difficulties can arise and how they can be overcome. The participants were accompanied in their own teaching process and contributed a significant part of the material with their experiences. Additional material came from the discussion of literature on the topic or the analysis of video recordings. The research group was hosted in cooperation with tanzfähig – Initiative for More Physical Diversity in Contemporary Dance.
Quest – Schuttgüter und Sternenstaub (Tamara Rettenmund)
Date: 09.04. – 10.04.2019
The local resident artist from 2018, Tamara Rettenmund, created Quest – Schüttgüter und Sternenstaub in co-production with Making a Difference from November 2018 to April 2019 with her collective Kornblum-Rettenmund. The work was presented at the Sophiensaele’s Hochzeitssaal on April 9 (premiere) and 10 in 2019.
Mentoring Workshop – Vielfalt Tanzen!
Date: 18.05.-19.05.2021
With Vielfalt Tanzen! (Dancing Diversity) the four teachers Angela Alves, Carolin Hartmann, Yuko Kaseki and Geraldo Si each had the opportunity to offer a two-hour dance class and then reflect on the inclusivity and quality of their own teaching practice in a one-hour feedback session with the participants. Three of the dance classes focused on somatic and improvised bodywork. In the fourth dance class with Geraldo Si, the participants gained insights into ballet in an inclusive format. Through the exchange with the participants, the teachers were encouraged to critically reflect their own teaching.
Teachertraining (Led by: Tanja Erhart & Mirjam Gurtner)
Date: 31.05. – 02.06.2019
During the teacher training, Tanja Erhart and Mirjam Gurtner provided both practical and theoretical insights into inclusive dance practices and their teaching possibilities for disabled and non-disabled teachers and dance enthusiasts in Berlin. On the third day, an advanced module aimed at the participants of the 2018 teacher training was offered to deepen their knowledge and practice.
Research Lab (Led by: Barak Adé Soleil)
Date: 23.06. – 29.06.2019
The artistic research lab with Barak Adé Soleil served as a collective research that placed the disabled body at the centre of the choreographic process. The focus was on the research questions: In what ways can we engage with “disability culture” in a contemporary dance practice? What nuances can we discover individually and collectively when artistic expression is informed by an intersectional and progressive social perspective? How can the ways in which people with disabilities navigate everyday public and private spaces enable a new understanding of the compositional process?
Together with Barak Adé Soleil, seven Berlin-based disabled artists and international guests conducted the research.
Dance Voucher – Round 2
Date: 01.07. – 31.12.2019
As part of the project, we offered three Deaf and/or disabled dance enthusiasts the opportunity to take part in various dance courses offered by Berlin dance scene for six months and to cover the costs with a voucher for 500€. Partners of the project could be asked to help with the selection of trainings and any other queries. With the voucher, we wanted to encourage Deaf and disabled dance enthusiasts to discover the Berlin dance scene without encountering financial barriers.
Local & international Residency (Carolin Hartmann & Markéta Stránská)
Date: 01.08. – 31.08.2019
During a four-week residency, one local and one international artist had the opportunity to conduct artistic research and to advance their own practice with dramaturgical and practical support. After the residency, the local artist was given the opportunity to continue her work in a co-production.
Local artist: Carolin Hartmann
Link to an interview with Carolin Hartmann by Tanzbüro Berlin
International artist: Markéta Stránská (Prague/CZ)
Link to an interview with Markéta Stránská by Tanzbüro Berlin
School Workshops in collaboration with TanzZeit e.V.
Date: 26.08. – 30.08.2019
Together with TanzZeit e.V., two five-day workshops were held with pupils from the Marianne Cohn School. The workshops were led by two disabled teachers, Bea-Carolina Remark and Daniel Riedel, in tandem with two non-disabled dance teachers from TanzZeit, Francesca Patrone and Ilka Rothenhäusler. On the last day of the workshops, the students received a visit from the resident artists Carolin Hartmann and Markéta Stránská, for a shared dance experience.
Open Level Workshop: Searching Beneath the Surface (Led by: Annie Hanauer)
Datum: 02.11.-03.11.2019
The Open Level Workshop led by dancer Annie Hanauer (UK/CA) offered an open dance experience for disabled and non-disabled people with and without dance experience. The workshop focused on the different possibilities of contact within inclusive groups and on the question of individual self-definition through the development of smaller solo works.
Performance Project – Inner Space, outer space: from the individual to the group (Led by: Joris Camelin)
Datum: 24.10. – 29.11.2019
The performance project led by Joris Camelin was dedicated to deepen ones presence through the use of the senses, breath, voice and movement. Participants were invited to adapt and optimise their natural breathing functions through specific exercises. There was experimentation with how the breath and voice can be used as a source of movement. The focus was not on performative ideas or skills, but on the possibility for everyone to dare and try out, thus encountering themselves and the group. The results where shared publicly at ada Studios on 29.11.2019.
Contrary to the guiding principle of Making a Difference, it was not possible for us to find a disabled workshop leader from Berlin for the period of six consecutive weeks. After extensive consideration, we decided on Joris Camelin as the non-disabled workshop leader. However, this was under the condition that he would conduct three mentoring sessions with two disabled participants in the project, in which he would share his experience in the preparation and follow-up of projects and workshops, in order to contribute to the development of disabled talent and leadership in dance in Berlin.