The performances of Dandelion II will be shown as a double bill with A Strategy for the Fragile by Shiori Tada.
Entering the stage as a playground, she explores the combination of dance and sign language movements and creates a whole new form of visual poetry. She links rules of sign language such as hand shapes, facial expressions and ordinary movements with movement studies by Laban, with ballet and Visual Vernacular – an art form of sign language that is very popular in the deaf community. Some moments of the solo performance are also inspired by works by deaf poets of the 1980s, such as Clayton Valli’s Dandelion and Robert Panara’s poem On his Deafness.
RITA MAZZA is a deaf freelance artist, visual sign performer, dancer and choreographer. She works in theater plays as an actress occasionally. She speaks Italian Sign Language fluently as well as German, French and International Sign. Since 2010 Rita Mazza has lived in Berlin and is currently working as an artistic director and performer on visual sign performances in Berlin. She has a longstanding collaboration with Making A Difference.
CONCEPT, CHOREOGRAPHY, PERFORMANCE Rita Mazza LIGHT DESIGN Raquel Rosildete
A production by Rita Mazza in co-production with Making a Difference: SOPHIENSÆLE, Tanzfabrik Berlin, Uferstudios, tanzfähig, Hochschulübergreifendes Zentrum Tanz Berlin, TanzZeit, Diversity.Arts.Culture and Zeitgenössischer Tanz Berlin. Supported by TANZPAKT Stadt-Land-Bund with funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and by the Senate Department for Culture and Europe, co-financing fund. The 31st Tanztage Berlin is a production of SOPHIENSÆLE. Funded by the Senate Department for Culture and Europe. With the friendly support of Tanzfabrik Berlin e. V. and Theaterhaus Berlin Mitte. Media partners: Siegessäule, tipBerlin, taz and Berlin Art Link.