Dear Comrades,

Greetings from Kirchfembach, in Middle Franconia (it’s near Puschendorf), where i’m at a little self-organized artistic research residency at my friend Barbara Bess‘ space Alte Schule. Taking the opportunity to go through my PhD notes and make some sort of plan to structure the second part of this adventure at this, the more-or-less halfway point. 

In the meantime, other things are happening: Two weeks ago, famous and infamous choreographer Julia B. Laperrière invited me to facilitate a morning class on Scorpio Dances – BDSM & Choreography at Radialsystem Berlin, as part of her Body-Time-Space residency “Exercising Joy”. Thanks to Julia, also for making the morning classes of the series open to Berlin’s freelance dance scene.

The Near Future: 

September 1 to October 22: After the summer break, i’m excited to be returning to Tanzfabrik Berlin for the performance project “Skin, and other Boundaries”. The performance projects are extended workshop formats that run for 8 weeks, twice a week, on Monday and Wednesday evenings for two hours each, with an informal showing at the end. This is my third time facilitating one of these at Tanzfabrik, and they are always great opportunities to dive a bit more deeply into a choreographic practice than is possible in a single workshop. I will also be facilitating “Pleasure – a contemporary technique class” ahead of each session. While the performance project is a commitment to all 8 weeks, the class is open and can be taken once, twice, sporadically, or every time! Early Bird pricing for both ends next week, August 11! More info and register here! 

September 8, 10, and 12: In my sideways career as a pianist, i will be accompanying the ballet class for professionals at Marameo Berlin taught by the pedagogically fabulous Yuri Shimaoka.

September 14: Facilitating SCRIBBLES, a workshop on notating sound and movement for ages 6 and up, with the marvelous (not to mention fellow fermento) Daniella Strasfogel, at the Festival für Selbstgebaute Musik (DIY music festival), several times throughout the day between 1pm and 6pm, at Holzmarkt 25, Berlin.

September 27 & 28: Facilitating a workshop at the Microfestival of the Institut für Somatische Bildung, S*xualität und Körperarbeit (Institute for Somatic Education, S*xuality, and Bodywork) Berlin, save the date!

Further Future Preview: 

November 11-13: Facilitating several workshops and giving a lecture at Mozarteum Salzburg, for the Open Arts M.A. & PhD programs and the Orff Institute.

November 24-28: Facilitating morning classes (not only) for professionals, at Tanzplattform Rhein-Main/Mousonturm, Frankfurt am Main.

November 29 & 30: Facilitating the workshop Power of Three, at libe8, Cologne. More info and register here! 

The political department of this newsletter, that had a few good moments in the past, really would still need a moment to regroup. I still find there’s something awfully virtue-signalling about attaching your watermelon emoji to your arts news. However, more important than my aesthetic concerns is the matter of a genocide being perpetrated by those who would claim to represent me in some way, and would claim that to call them out is to be anti-semitic. As a lifelong (and at times semi-public) Jew, i still feel the need to constantly reaffirm publicly that well, no, it isn’t. As for the g-word above – some of You may fondly recall a newsletter a little over a year ago, in which i questioned the term (while also pointing out that if you’re close enough to genocide that people can confuse what you’re doing with genocide, you’re probably too close) – i’ve come around. I use it. I was late. I’m sorry. At some point, the evidence was just overwhelming. I’m also still all for creative and generative questioning of language, and am equally aware that my change in vocabulary doesn’t do much for those dying of starvation. I wish the next sentence could start with a “but”, but it doesn’t.

Some items that touched me recently, on-topic: 
Peter Beinart on Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza
Israeli Rights Groups Accuse Government of Genocide
And, just to finish in the spirit of hope and defiance, a little Patti Smith, who i saw live in concert in Berlin at age 78 a few weeks ago, and somehow made everyone feel a little lighter with her incredible energy – let’s try to be a little Patti Smith for each other sometimes. People Have the Power

Sending some rural love to You all,
xxx,
David B.