PERFORMING DEMOCRACY

“We live in a theater of horror, which is why we refuse to continue portraying that horror." 
This quote from Backyard [A Field to Search] by Mexican artists Laura Uribe and Sabina Aldana sums up our curatorial exploration for this edition of the PERFORMING DEMOCRACY festival.

We have set out to present artistic works that do not lose themselves in horror, but rather open up spaces for action. Works that believe that phrases like "Yes, we can!" or “We'll figure it out" can be more than empty promises. This is not about sugarcoating reality or escaping it, but about the question of how art reconnects us: to ourselves, to one another, and to a society that we actively help shape.

That is why our goal in this edition is vital engagement. The invited guest performances address belonging rather than mere exclusion. They enliven the senses rather than numbing them, showcasing on stage daring, vulnerability, humanity, weakness, and the power of encounter and connection; they explore identity and home as they might look beyond the familiar boundaries of land and soil, beyond lineage. We have selected artistic works that allow us, as human beings, to feel part of this society once again and to find our way out of isolation. 

In keeping with this theme, we open this year’s festival with a guest performance that embraces inclusion as a central artistic principle: In the solo piece Songs of the Wayfarer, choreographer and performer Claire Cunningham (Scotland) takes the audience on a personal journey. Through her dance with crutches, her singing, and a map that slowly emerges on the floor, new landscapes unfold. A poetic, humorous piece that leaves the audience with a sense of hopeful connection.

Hope and solidarity are also at the heart of Backyard [A Field to Search] – The Lecture, in which Laura Uribe and Sabina Aldana (Mexico) address the issue of missing persons in Mexico. When they began their research in 2018, the number of missing persons stood at around 32,000; today it is over 130,000, a shockingly high figure. This is deeply disturbing and leaves one speechless. However, the performance goes beyond merely making this horror visible: it shows the power that lies within the community. 

Kopergietery & KGbe from Belgium show their musical theater performance The Pale Baron (for ages 8 and up). Here, a tyrant reigns who detests poetry and is deeply unsettled by questions. But children ask questions. For example: where did all the poets disappear to overnight? On stage, Anna Vercammen and Joeri Cnapelinckx create a plea for art, poetry, friendship, and freedom.

The dance performance ALL'ARME, choreographed by Panzetti & Ticconi with Studio za suvremeni ples (Croatia), explores the tension between individual agency and collective power in a striking way. The production walks the fine line between group and individual, empowerment and oppression—while simultaneously illuminating the disarming humanity of weakness. 

The festival concludes with the dance performance Fampitaha, fampita, fampitàna. Four bodies defy the violence that has shaped them over the years: Soa Ratsifandrihana (Belgium/Madagascar) traces the multifaceted narratives of life in the diaspora through choreography and music. The performers embark on a poetic journey between Madagascar and various continents, in search of history and its legacy.

In the midst of the festival, THE MOVEMENT takes place. Together with artist Julian Warner, we address critical questions—with a touch of irony and dislocation—about the necessity of cultural institutions. After all, sport is also culture. Perhaps even one that brings people together more than art? Or is it not a matter of either/or, but rather a joint mobilization of our sluggish bodies and minds? Is it about rehabilitating our waning motivation to resist? Can training help with that? Or do we need art after all to stay awake? We’re excited, swinging kettlebells in between, and looking forward to a sports-art spectacle staged especially for the festival with Freiburg clubs in the new stadium of FT 1844 e.V. 

The diverse accompanying program will also stimulate your senses: Together with the Catholic Academy, FABRIK, the Kommunales Kino, the Slow Club, Südwind e.V., the Museum of Contemporary Art, and Tanznetz Freiburg, we cordially invite you to let yourself be inspired by utopian ideas both on and off the theater stage.

To conclude this edition of the festival, we want to celebrate together and let ourselves be swept away by the power that artistic work can unleash. So come one and all to the closing party and let the performance group Tedious Work invite you to dance!