In WHAT THEY ARE INSTEAD OF Jared Gradinger / Angela Schubot show us the unremitting togetherness of two bodies in an abstracted form, through movement and breath. Movement to rhythm, in all its layers, whether standing, lying or sitting. The dancers’ bodies, which never seem to rest, merge into a symbiotic being; the intimacy of two driven bodies, hurtled violently into a field of conflict, repetition and counterbalance, are carried to the extreme by a constant play of holding on to one other, by a permanent wrestling with and against each other. In a monotonous way the dancers act out their lives between distance and intimacy, familiarity and alienation. At the very limit of their togetherness the question, however, remains: How can we coexist?



After meeting nine years ago Jared Gradinger / Angela Schubot worked together for the first time in WHAT THEY ARE INSTEAD OF for the Pictopia Festival in the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, in 2009. Ten years ago Angela Schubot founded, together with Martin Clausen, Two Fish, which puts focus on movement and speech. Material develops out of the performers‘ characters and their images of the human being as thinking, talking and moving organism. Since 2002 the American Jared Gradinger has been working as a performer in Berlin and was one of the fo*unding members of Constanza Macras / Dorky Park. He has created seven major works with the company and assisted Macras in numerous workshops. For the past two years he has been curator for les grandes traversées in Bordeaux. His video work has been screened throughout Europe, Canada and Asia.

[CHOREOGRAPHY AND PERFORMANCE] Jared Gradinger, Angela Schubot

A Co-Production of Haus der Kulturen der Welt Berlin with Les Grandes Traversées Bordeaux and Schwelle 7 Berlin, in Cooperation with Pictoplasma.

Duration: 50 min. read less