Soapera - the second visit

On Friday we saw Soapéra again with a different group of kids. After Thursday's schaumparty, we were pretty excited to see the show once more--and Friday managed to be just as awesome. There are a lot of photos in this post, but to put it in perspective, these are a selection from 182 from the night. Needless to say... it was a good time.

Julia and Dimitri in the car from Bochum

Niko knows how to do VIP right

the speed high-five game (as it's now known)

Jana with the Gelsenkirchen group 

we had lots of time before the show started, so we had an impromptu parking-lot dance party... (stay tuned for videos)

Hamsa and Greta got a groove on 

the dance-party photographers

jumping jacks 

the jury making their VIP entrance

those Duisberg kids know how to walk the carpet

wave to the plebs 

shades party 

superstahh 

Damian walked on the stage after the show... and slipped on the wet foamy floor

we talked to the four dancers in the show after. my favourite question: "do you feel like stars?" when they answered no, the kids replied "well you should!" 

the venue had to close, but the jury still managed to write those evaluation forms... stay tuned for this show's awards because they are sure to be original...

A lesson in putting magnets on a van

Soapera - the first visit

On Thursday we saw Soapéra, the dance-art installation by Mathilde Monnier. Here's some of the Bochum crew in the car, Pascal and Damla.

it's roter teppich time...

post-show reaction... what was all that schaum about?!

CCA coordinators extraordinaire, Cathrin and Jana

cleaning the stage post foam-show

this is just one reason why we love you Meike (happy birthday!)

Jury Sechs

Pre-show psych-up

"Soap is even better to watch than television"

(image source: http://update.waopa.ch/?jw_portfolio=mathilde-monnier-fr)

Last night the jury saw Soapéra, a dance-installation by Mathilde Monnier at the Salzlager in Essen. It was one of my favourite nights with the jury so far, filled with unpredictable moments that would only happen with a group of kids in the space.

When we entered the theatre, the whole ground-level stage was covered with a giant circular mass of foamy bubbles--see the photo above. A soap machine was still spilling soap onto the pile from overhead as the audience entered the space. The lights dimmed and we sat, watching the mass continue to grow. It slowly started to move, gently bobbing up and down.

Over time, this action (or lack thereof) was becoming one of those moments where the (adult) audience (or at least me) began to ask themselves: What is this? what is it supposed to mean? what do the bubbles mean? what is it referencing? and so on. We've been trained to ask ourselves these and other questions when looking at art, to think critically about the conceptual framework behind it.

The kids? Maybe some of them were thinking the same things. But mostly, they were thinking: BUBBLES. And so, when the first mass of soapy foam gravitated towards them, the kids knew exactly what they had to do--reach forward and grab those bubbles. You know, see what they feel like, blow them into the air, at each other, put them on their head, and smush them into their clothes. After all, what else do you do with bubbles? They were so fascinated by this mass of foam (schaum) that one of the kids said before the show even started: "Soap is even better to watch than television."

At first, the audience didn't know how to react to the kids' behaviour. You could see the incredulity in their eyes: Aren't we not supposed to touch the art?! Isn't this a stage project, not an interactive one? Shouldn't we not break the audience/stage barrier? Yet after the kids laughs became louder, their bubble blowing higher in the air... their giggling became contagious--and the whole audience started to giggle too. Something shifted in the room when it became clear how much fun they were having, and it was one of the most memorable parts of the performance.

It's moments like these when you see how the children can challenge an audience--and these moments are what the project is about. With all of our (adult) critical, conceptual thoughts that arise when watching contemporary art, all I could think was: Thank you kids, for reminding us all--sometimes art is better when we break the rules about viewing it. Because there ARE different ways to view art then only the ways we are trained to.

Bubbles can be art, but sometimes, they can just be bubbles.

Europeras - Q & A with Nikolay Borchev

After seeing Europeras the second time, we talked with singer Nikolay Borchev. This is an excerpt from the talk, along with some phone flirting:

Party im Auto -

Charles Ives interval

Selman explains to a stranger how he was picked for the jury:

Selim gives us some Pokerface:

Europeras, round 2

On Friday, we saw Europeras once more, 2 weeks after watching the premiere with a different group of kids. We were curious to see how this group would react to the massive production... 

Here are the blonde Bochum girls en route to the Jahrhunderthalle

Christopher and Drilon walked the red carpet in the rain

the jury ate some snacks before (and during) the long show

Davud

Davud, Meike and Nick posing/eating 

nice chewing Meike!

getting some energy out during the interval jumping up and down

after the show, we met Nikolay, a performer who wore that feather hat on the table in Europeras 2

passing notes took on a new meaning via phone passing tonight... is there a love connection happening in the jury? (I won't reveal the recipient)

Jacqueline looking at Nikolai's specific list of times he carries with him to know his cues

some Europeras inspired drawings 

and... more crazy photos from the Bochum girls on the van ride home

Birmingham and Manchester

I left Germany to check out Ask a Teenager at the AND Festival, Manchester and meet with the Fierce Festival in Birmingham to talk about future plans. As is often the case with the early days of project conception, the ideas were BIG and ambitious. We're talking about doing a Nightwalks with Teenagers and seeing if we can engage not only as many youth arts groups in Birmingham, but see if we can hook up with some of the young people we are working with now at the Ruhrtrienalle. That would be sick!

But likely unlikely. But you never know.

In any case, we're starting to build the desire and intention to begin to connect up youth that we've worked with on previous project, the goal being to start to form an international network of Young Mammals who can create work and create their own organizations in association with us, applying our approach to young people.

Regentanz im Pulse Park

Charles Ives - Kent Nagano

Wer hätte das gedacht. Kent Nagano und das Mahler Chamber Orchestra haben es geschafft die Jury 2.30 h ruhig zu halten. Nachdem wir in beiden Tanzstücken von Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker mit zu viel Talkativity zu kämpfen hatten, war während der Musik von Charles Ives konzentrierte Stille unter den Jurymitgliedern. Celim erklärte später im Künstlergespräch: "Wir sagen zwar die Musik ist uncool, aber wir meinen das nicht so. Wir wissen dass die Musik in Wahrheit schön ist und wir finden sie auch schön. Wir müssen das nur vor den Freunden so sagen". Wow. Danach fragte Celim, warum nur ältere und reich aussehende Leute im Publikum saßen und keine Kinder. Darauf hatten die Künstler keine Antwort, aber Celim hatte seine Frage schon selbst beantwortet. Kinder und Jugendliche sind uncool, wenn sie diese Musik cool finden. 
Vermutlich hatten aber auch die edlen Anzüge, Abendkleider und die respektvoller Art unter den Musikern die Jury beeinflusst. Diesmal stand kein nackter Tänzer auf der Bühne über den man kichern musste, die Jury hatte stattdessen hochkonzentrierte und schick gekleidete Musiker vor sich und ein feines Publikum hinter sich. 

Ulasch saß in der ersten Reihe. Seinen Ausblick auf Kent Nagano hat er festgehalten.

Seyma hatte irgendwo die Zahl 31 aufgeschnappt und versucht uns nun die türkische Bedeutung zu erklären..vor lauter Lachen brachte sie aber kein Wort heraus.

Shoe time

Die Jury kurz vor ihrem Auftritt. Sie hatten nicht so viel Zuschauer erwartet.

Selman hat den Europaras-Vogel auf der Seitenbühne gefunden

The Bochum Boys

Darren, this one's for you! Guess who's waering these heels?

Kaum zu erkennen...

...hier noch mal: VIP

Ulas' zweite Zeichnung. Unglaublich.

Die Sänger Thomas Hampson und Chen Reiss, gezeichnet von Ulas

Die Jury bei ihrer Arbeit