POLITICAL BODIES 2015
Hamburg-Dakar-Cologne
Kampnagel – Theater im Bauturm / February 2015
International Dance Festival Kaay Fecc, Dakar, Senegal / Mai 2015
Symposium „African HipHop – a Lesson for European Democracy?“
February 6. – 7. 2015 - Kampnagel

„Do you know who I am?“
It's one of the questions asked by B-Boy Benji on a daily basis. Unlike Lamine, who is only ready for protest if he has covered his required diurnal amount of calcium. And while B-Boy Abdallah scales the political Olymp to scorn those in power, Vieira reminds everyone in his song of the roots of the African people. Only Baïdy remains quiet and refuses to talk about those things. It's just too complicated, too immense, too dark inside of him.
„Where were you when the revolution swept through the streets of the city?“
That was one of the questions the choreographer Yolanda Gutiérrez asked to 5 dancers from Dakar concerning the riots in Senegal's capital that preceded the presidental elections back in 2012. And they answered by dancing. They pointed out what still makes them mad, now, 2 years later, where they would like their country to be presently, what they are missing and what they've had enough of. „Y'en a marre!“ - I am fed up! - this is the battle cry and at the same time the name of the organisation founded by intellectuals, journalists and artists, including hip-hoppers and b-boys, to raise awareness of their collective political power and influence. But where will this battle cry lead up to exactly?

For the dance and music project “Political Bodies”, the German-Mexican choreographer Yolanda Gutiérrez and dramaturge Jens Dietrich have teamed up with the Senegalese musician and movement supporter Matador, the African American DJ Zen Jefferson and five Senegalese break-dancers to demonstrate the methods and choreographic forms of expressions which protesters successfully applied using their bodies. Musicians and dancers will jointly develop a “dance dictionary of political battle”, exploring the relationship between the human body and politics, artistic actions and political mobilisation, based on the “Y’en a marre” protests.
In addition to the performances, a two-day symposium titled “African Hip Hop – A Lesson for European Democracy?” will be held at Kampnagel in Hamburg and will address such themes as the aestheticisation of protest cultures, the politicisation of Hip Hop in Senegal and the exchange between Senegalese and German project cultures. In cooperation with the Hamburg HipHop Academy, the symposium programme will also feature the breakdance competition “Body is a Battlefield” and workshops by Senegalese dancers for young members of the HipHop Academy.

Hamburg-Dakar-Cologne

Kampnagel - Theater im Bauturm
Theatre season 2014-2015

[Artistic Direction] Yolanda Gutiérrez [Choreography], Jens Dietrich [Dramaturgy]
[Artistically assistance] Daniel Chelminiak
[Management] Janosch Pomerecke
[Set design] Anton Lukas
[Costume] Tukki Mode
[Dance] Baidy Ba, B-Boy Abdallah, B-Boy Ben-J,Papa Sangone Vieira, Lamine Diagne.
[Music] Matador
[DJ] Zen Jefferson
[Lights] Ricarda Könecke
[Praktika] Joana Richter
[Booking] Anette Buschermöhle
[Training] Saky Tchebe Bertrand (SEN) Wajdi Gagui (MOR) Nina Wollny (GER) Trinidad Martínez (ES) Andres Moreno García (MEX)
[Special guest] Dijily Bagdad

A production from yolanda gutiérrez & projectsz/Jens Dietrich together with Kampnagel and Theater im Bauturm.
With friendly supprot from Goethe Institut Senegal and L'ecole de Sables/Djante Bi-Toubab Dialaw.

Funded by the TURN Fund of the German Federal Cultural Foundation