photo © Marcus Staab-Poncet
I am a Berlin based dramatherapist and performer/director. I am specialised in bharatanatyam – Classical Indian Dance Theatre – and research the application of rasa (emotions) and Indian Dance Theatre for the therapeutic context. In artistic projects I am passionate about intimate and autobiographic work and decolonial perspectives. I enjoy being part of empowering communities. Phoenix e.V. – an antiracist association- and Natya Initiative Berlin – an initiative for community building in Berlin’s Classical Indian Dance scene – are important parts of my work and life.
Ich bin Theatertherapeutin (DGfT / ITI) und Regisseurin/Performerin. Ich habe mich auf bharatanatyam – Klassisches Indisches Tanztheater – spezialisiert und erkunde die Anwendung von rasa (Emotionen) und Indischem Tanztheater im therapeutischen Kontext. In künstlerischen Projekten arbeite ich leidenschaftlich zu intimen und autobiographischen Formaten mit dekoloniale Perspektiven. Empowernde Communities sind wichtiger Teil meines Lebens. Mit Freude bin ich aktiv bei Phoenix e.V. – einem anti-rassistischem Verein – und Natya Initiative Berlin – einer Initiative für Community-building in der Klassisch-Indischen Tanztheaterszene Berlins.
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studies:
Theatre-School ACTEA/ France, Normandy 2000-2002
Cultural Anthropology (BA) at Freie Universität/ Berlin 2006-2010
Bharata Natyam/ Berlin,Chennai and Bangalore 2006-2013
Dramatherapy 2016 – 2023
Decoloniality&meet MIMOSA
In 2012 I initiated the collective „meet MIMOSA“ together with Andre Vollrath and Laura Werres. „meet MIMOSA“ works about the state we experience, when our perception of the self or the world is shaken. It focuses on the deconstructions of the idea of „own“ and „other“ and other themes in relation to decoloniality. The first series of work researches and stages the discourse of Critical Whiteness under the project title: blank. Since april 2012 I am teaching the series of workshops blank1. These workshops focus on the perception and permeability of one‘s own identity. The first performance „blank2:ich weiß“ has been premiered in February 2013. The third project in this series is the performance „blank: wer_weiß?“. It was premiered in December 2013 at Rathaus Schöneberg/Berlin and is still touring. The most recent project is „Earthport„, – an intercultural experiment to shift borders, transgress labels and recreate a healing human connection through performance. Earthport is a German-Egyptian Co-production with Nora Amin and the Cairo based „Lamusica Independent Theatre Group“.
Intimate and human specific Performances:
Since 2008 I am performing regularly with the Danish Theatre Cantabile2 in human specific performances; especially the one-on-one labyrinth-performances Venus Labyrinth and Seek to Seek. With Maria Stoyanova (Barcelona/Sofie) I am creating Human Specific Installations in the project: BalzerStoyanova. The experiments with intimate and autobiographic aspects run like a thread through all my works. 2016 I co-directed „Earthport“ – a human specific performance-collaboration with the Egyptian Theatre Lamusica Independent Theatre group (Nora Amin) and meet MIMOSA. (http://earthport-project.blogspot.de/)
Decoloniality&Classical Indian Dance-Theatre:
Besides the study of cultural anthropology (BA 2010), I studied since 2006 Classical Indian Dance Theatre (Kuchipudi/Bharata Natyam) in Chennai and Berlin, with Rajyashree Ramesh and other teachers. Thereby I am working on questions of Hybridity, the definition of „own“ and „other“ and the challenges of post-colonial perspectives. This research resulted in performances such as the Berlin Margam (with Rajyashree Ramesh, Dr.Avanthi Meduri and Manickam Yogeswaran), Hybrid Identities, and Santosham. My Solo „BalaPina2“, that was created in that context, was chosen to be presented in the final of the competition „Germany‘s best dance solo“. Since 2014 I am touring „Raga-Abhinaya“ together with Manickam Yogeswaran.
Other Collaborations:
Since 2006 I have been working closely with the Egyptian theatre-maker/writer Nora Amin/La Musica Independent Group in Cairo/Alexandria. I performed in Amin`s shows „Cat Dying“ and „My Country“. The autobiographic solo „My Country“ toured in Denmark, Egypt, Morocco, Albania, Ukraine, India and Spain. Our most recent project is Earthport.
Since 2012 I am dancing and collaborating with the Johanna Devi Dance Company. Johanna Devi works on the edge of contemporary Dance and Bharata Natyam.