la vita nuova - Ben Rentz

“Our waking existence, too, is a land from which, in hidden places, one descends into the underworld—a land full of inconspicuous spots where dreams flow into.” Walter Benjamin

The artistic and political movement of Surrealism emerged in response to the devastation of World War I and the rise of fascism in the 1920s. Drawing on this legacy and in a political situation that appears similar, we place the concept of the surreal at the center of our concept—not as an escape from reality, but as an empowering, militant method.
We want to create a space that challenges reality, and to do so, we will go to an everyday location: a swimming pool. In this process, the transformation of the space through bodies, music, and action becomes the vehicle for the Surrealist idea. Where the Surrealists touched upon the aesthetic dimension of eroticism in their demand for freedom, we aim to incorporate a perspective of queer desire and situate the performance as a surrealist ecstasy. 
Instruments and materials made of wood and metal will serve as scenographic elements to challenge visual habits, and the musicians will be juxtaposed with the dancers as moving agents and interwoven with them.

CONCEPT, CHOREOGRAPHY Ben Rentz DRAMATURGY Yoreme Waltz DANCE Fatemeh Azizi, Vein Narges Azizi, Esmée A. Capsié, Nava Ilfu, Santiago Sánchez Ramírez, Anton Schuster, Fannie Vakalopoulou, Ferdinand Waltz, Pia Weber PERCUSSION Leonie Klein TUBA, TRUMPET, TROMBONE Gérard Buquet, TUBA Fanny Metéier COSTUMES Ben Rentz, Yoreme Waltz GRAPHIC DESIGN Svenja Dalferth, Jasmin Mahmoud DIRECTORIAL AND COSTUME ASSISTANT Rabea Sene SET DESIGN ASSISTANT Emmy Tema INTERNSHIP Tabea Sen TECHNICAL DIRECTOR ASSISTANT Lorenz Hohn TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Nik Wallbaum

A production by ensemble ben rentz, in co-production with the Karlsruher Bäder, Tanzhaus Basel, and the Andreas C.H. Schell Foundation. Supported by the Cultural Affairs Office I of the City of Karlsruhe, the Riemschneider Foundation, the Landesverband Freie Tanz- und Theaterschaffende Baden-Württemberg e.V. with funding from the Ministry of Science, Research, and the Arts of the State of Baden-Württemberg, and the Musikfonds e.V. with project funding from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.

Note:

Discounted tickets are available—subject to availability—for students, college students, young people in voluntary service, recipients of social assistance or unemployment benefits, holders of a severe disability card, those performing basic military service, apprentices, and recipients under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act.

Doors open at 7:55 p.m.

The Weiherhofbad building is accessible without stairs. There is an accessible restroom in the building complex. Age restriction: 14 and older. No traditional seating arrangement. Photography and video recording are not permitted during the performance.

If you have any questions, please contact office@benrentz.com. Please note that details are subject to change up until the day of the event.