German-born Helena Waldmann has started to create another politically driven dance work, which aims to make audiences question social and political conventions. The Intruder – an Autopsy, invites audiences to take a look under the skin and inside the system of the state.
Waldmann is known for her political choreography, and many of her pieces point to social sore spots, creating total that go beyond traditional dance-theatre.
The Intruder – an Autopsy looks at politics legitimising itself through a ‘body’ made up of people, nation, country and products. When faced with intruders like migrants or refugees, the body asserts solidarity and unity. Waldmann uses the metaphor that a body can only live and survive through its openings (mouth, nose, ears pores). She asserts that politics should view ‘opponents’ as a means for personal growth, rather than something to be destroyed.
Since 1989, Waldmann has explored many styles of dance such as kathak and acrobatics. For her latest performance she draws inspiration from the Chinese martial arts, kung fu – a style where attack and defence are part of the same process.
Waldmann has started rehearsals, with the premiere taking place 8 June at Theater im Pfalzbau, Ludwigshafen. It will tour through Germany until December 2019.