Photo by Ayoub Benali

I’ve studied English and German Linguistics and Literature, with my Master thesis on Rrrrrhythm in Theatre at the University of Antwerp (Be) .

The musicality of Language and the language of Music has been one of the basic themes in my academic work. Until I fell into Rhythm.

Suddenly the concept of “communicative systems”, e.g. Music or Language, was broken down completely and the innumerous possibilities to re-connect those chops of rhythmic elements in order to “talk”, set the start of a new fascination in my artistic research.

I want to break down those communicative constructs that are made-up and taken for granted as cultural conventions. I want to give surprisingly new connections in return: Irrational, playful associations that can only be made because something else fell apart.

Therefore I have chosen the open world of Performance to create my stories with all the elements at hand at that very moment, mixing realities, legends, illusions and global questions. And therefore too, I have chosen to work often in the public and social area, to confront my audiences with unexpected appearances and actions and tear up the strong tights of the human mind.

My basic tool is Improvisation. This is my key to this labyrinth of rhythmic structures which enables me those unexpected, extraordinary “phrases” in my works, relating suddenly more than one had imagined.

 

 

After my academic formation I continued my research on Rhythm in the field, outside of Europe:  Especially in São Paulo and Salvador de Bahia, but also in Recife, Olinda and Campinas I’ve learned about many different Rhythms, traditions and cultural manifestations and played a.o. at: Instituto Brincante with Antonio Nobrega, Prego Batido with Eder “O” Rocha and Mestre Nico , Casa Popular de Cultura M’Boi Mirim with Mestre Gilberto and Arakunrin, Espirito de Zumbi and I’ve played the pifano flute with the legendary Mestre Sebastião Biano of the band Banda de pifano de Caruaru. After our first cooperation in Berlin, I joined the visual artist Igor Souza to his hometown Salvador de Bahia to create TRES (see Projects).

Here in Europe I continue to construct my own style of performative actions, fed by my European rational knowledge, my Brazilian experiences as well as by newer influences coming from different kinds of formations in performative arts: Improvisational Performance Practice (Andrew Morrish, Meltem Nil), Seki Method (Minako Seki), Contact Improvisation and Body Mind Centering (Heike Kuhlmann, Elske Seidel a.o.), Maracatu (Fabiano Lima), Capoeira Angola (Filhos de Angola: Mestre Laercio).

Having been practicing Aikido very intensely for the last 6 years (School of Christian Tissier with Jean-Marie Milleville), again a new path of communication has appeared. Realizing that here too it’s the rhythm that leads the movement.

My pleasure lies in the consciously experiencing of the intense exchange of kinds of presence, which is required to be able to handle the constantly changing new situations. Another layer of Rhythm has been added to my work.

My works vary from social-cultural projects to solo improvisation performances on stage or intervening in the public area.