„Spiegelneuronen” von Stefan Kaegi
A documentary dance evening with an audience
by Sasha Waltz & Guests with Rimini Protokoll
Please note that bright lights will be used at times during the performance.
“Spiegelneuronen” is a participatory theater experience. There may be moments of close proximity to neighboring audience members. When purchasing a ticket, single seats on the edge can be booked. This limited offer is specifically aimed at people for whom physical closeness to others is problematic.
All audience members are visible in the mirror – especially those in the front row.
Concept and direction Stefan Kaegi (Rimini Protokoll)
Dramaturgy Silke Bake
Music Tobias Koch
Scenography Dominic Huber
Video Mikko Gaestel
Light Martin Hauk
Costume Sandra Tiersch
Repetition Claudia de Serpa Soares
Dance Sasha Waltz & Guests Melissa Kieffer, Dominique McDougal, Francisco Martinez, Orlando Rodriguez, László Sandig, Claudia de Serpa Soares, and Wibke Storkan
With the voices of Christina von Braun, John-Dylan Haynes, Sarah Karim, Tim Landgraf, Nora Schultz, and Tania Singer
Emotions, laughter, yawning, some movements have a contagious effect. Neuroscience suggests that certain processes in the brain produce mirroring effects that might be key to explaining empathy and mutual understanding.
“Spiegelneuronen” is an invitation to a ‘physical reflection’ on the relationship between the individual and society: The documentary dance evening by Stefan Kaegi/Rimini Protokoll in collaboration with Sasha Waltz & Guests is an experiment. This happens anew in each performance. The audience is an essential part of the experiment, as they are invited not only to observe the emergence of dance movement but also to move themselves, acting as an active part of a common system from their seats, experiencing themselves as part of a sort of great brain.
The auditorium as the main action space: A mirror is located where the stage would normally be. It reflects not only the dancers but – like a gigantic selfie – the entire audience. In exchange with the dancers, the audience itself comes to the center of the movements and experiences themselves not only when “embodying” complex images but also contributes to the group’s choreography. Through the mirror, the audience watches themselves and others as they observe the experiment, in whose center they sit.
A production by Sasha Waltz & Guests in collaboration with Rimini Protokoll. A co-production with the Salzburg Festival, Tanz Köln, and Kampnagel – International Center for Finer Arts.
Media partnerships Radialsystem: The Berliner, Rausgegangen, taz. die tageszeitung, tip Berlin.
Photo (c) Bernd Uhlig