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This is a name to remember, even though it is not quite easy: Ingrida Gerbutaviciute is the new director at the Tanzhaus NRW in Düsseldorf. The Lithuanian (born in 1983) wants to set new accents. A conversation about dance, physicality, and community.
Ingrida Gerbutaviciute, you titled your first season with the question "May I hug you?", thus "Darf ich Dich/Sie umarmen?". In what way does the stage program seek answers?
IG:
This question is meant as a metaphor. At the center is, of course, the body. We ask ourselves, on the one hand, how do I deal with my own physicality after the pandemic, and how does my physicality relate to others and to the community. We try to think even further and expand the question of our physicality in its relation to natural elements, animals, objects, or even digitality. It’s about physical experiences beyond the human body. For this, we have invited companies and artists who are engaged with these themes.
What are they working on concretely?
IG:
Our focus marks three areas: intimate physicality, physicality of community, and finally expansive physicality. Works are emerging with communities or neighborhoods. Others are reflecting on what choreography is today or dance in general. Because it is not only the human body that can dance, but also, for example, a flame – see the work "Burn Time" by André Uerba.
What are the three most important accents that you want to set, whether on stage or in education?
IG:
At the academy, there is now a pilot project: We are offering courses for people with Alzheimer’s or dementia. There is already a dance class for people with Parkinson’s. We want to keep that and expand the offerings. To do this, we are building on a partnership with the Scottish Ballet, which already offers courses. Furthermore, to stay with the academy, we want to stretch our age groups. We want to offer playful hip-hop for children from two years old. In the stage program, I want to emphasize working with communities. Last autumn, there were two dance pieces in public squares in Düsseldorf, allowing us to reach a much larger audience. I believe that after the pandemic, every institution is asking how to win back its audience.
Is my impression incorrect that as a Latvian you present more artists from Northern and Eastern Europe?
IG:
Over the entire playing time, that is not the case. We have also invited guests from Southern, Western, and Central Europe. Everything is represented.
Is the tanzhaus nrw still a base station for the dance scene in North Rhine-Westphalia?
IG:
Yes, NRW is an important focus. We continue to promote co-productions to strengthen the scene. This season we are working with Ben J. Riepe, Alexandra Waierstall, Fabien Prioville, Hartmannmueller. The local free scene is well represented. I look forward to collaborating with the local artists.
