Matria – Motherland explores Malambo, the resistance dance of the gauchos, that combines the step dance – “zapateo” – juxtaposed with rhythmic movements driven by the Bombo Legüero, an Argentine drum. It emerged during the conquest of Wallmapu – traditional territory of the Mapuche people – known today as Patagonia, Argentina, mainly as a solo competition between men. Matria – Motherland dismantles the disciplinary and patriarchal aspect of the style and moves towards a dance of rebellion. In a cross between traditional and contemporary dance, it challenges the standard Western aesthetic to create a space for other ontologies of dance and imagine a history not represented in colonial and hegemonic narratives.
If any questions remain from the following information, please feel free to contact Hannah Aldinger at or 030 27 89 00 35. Please note that details may change by the day of the event.
General: The performance lasts approx. 55 minutes and uses Spanish spoken language as well as English surtitles. It is suitable for an audience aged 14 and over. Dimmed lights, darkness, drums and loud sounds of boleadoras hitting the floor are used on stage.
Combi-Ticket: The performance takes place as a double-bill with To be a fish in a Raki bottle by Elvan Tekin. This means that when you buy your ticket, you will receive a combi-ticket that allows you to attend both performances. The performances will be shown one after the other. Reserved tickets must be picked up at the box office by 7.30 pm. For more information on To be a fish in a Raki bottle, click here.
Audio description: For the performances on 10 and 11 January there will be an audio description in German for both performances, preceded by a tactile guide for blind and visually impaired people. The tactile tour for Matria – Motherland will take place from 7.15 pm to 7.45 pm. The meeting point is in front of the box office in the Sophiensaele courtyard. The guided tour for To be a Fish in a Raki Bottle will take place from 8.30 pm to 8.45 pm. The meeting point for this is in front of the Festsaal of the Sophiensaele. There will be a break of about 30 minutes between the performance Matria – Motherland and the tactile tour of To be a fish in a Raki bottle. Ticket reservations are accepted by Hannah Aldinger at or by calling 030 278900 35.
If required, we offer a pick-up service for blind and visually impaired people from the nearby S-Bahn, U-Bahn and tram stations before the first tactile tour. These are U-Bahn Weinmeisterstraße, S-Bahn Hackescher Markt or the tram station Weinmeisterstraße/Gipsstraße. An escort back to the stations is also possible. To make use of the pick-up service, please contact us during our office hours (Monday to Friday between 10 am and 6 pm) at 030 27 89 00 30 or .
Audience area: The audience area on the grandstand is seated. There are two wheelchair spaces and two beanbag seats, which can be reserved or purchased at the online ticket shop or box office, depending on availability.
Early Boarding: If, for artistic reasons, the door to the auditorium does not open until very shortly before the performance begins, there is the option of early boarding. This is early admission for all people (especially with visible or non-visible disabilities) who want a specific seat or a more relaxed entry. Early Boarding usually starts 10-20 minutes before the performance starts. The meeting point is next to the bar. Five minutes before Early Boarding begins, an on-site announcement will draw your attention to it once again. Our evening staff will be happy to help you find the meeting point.
You can also find more information about accessibility here.
Rocio Marano is an Argentinian-Spanish dancer and choreographer based in Berlin. In addition to her independent dance training, she studied at the Escola Superior d’Art i Disseny de les Illes Balears (Spain). She completed a Master’s degree in Choreography at the Inter-University Dance Centre HZT in Berlin. She was awarded the DAAD scholarship (2020) and is the recipient of the Distanzen scholarship (Neustart Kultur 2021, 2022), during which she explored the Malambo, the traditional Argentinian dance of the Gauchos, resulting in the piece Matria – Motherland and TransMatria. Rocio Marano is attracted by movement generated in the popular terrain of the collective, whose norms extend beyond contemporary dance. She has worked with an eclectic range of practices such as Krump, Malambo, interspecies somatic research (Barbara Berti) and yawning.
CHOREOGRAPHY, DANCE, MUSIC Rocio Marano DANCE, MUSIC Ángela Muñoz COSTUME Federico Protto LIGHTING Catalina Fernandez SCENOGRAPHY Lea Kieffer MENTORS Amanda Piña (Vienna), Michelle Moura (Berlin) AUDIO DESCRIPTION Emmilou Rössling and Silja Korn
A production by Rocio Marano.Research funding thanks to DIS-TANZEN-SOLO-Stipendium- support program for solo independent dance makers and Hochschulübergreifendes Zentrum Tanz Berlin. With the support of nadalokal – nadaproductions: transdisciplinary performance in Vienna. The 32nd Tanztage Berlin is a production of the SOPHIENSÆLE. Funded by the Senate Department for Culture and Europe. With the kind support of Tanzfabrik Berlin e. V., HZT Berlin and Theaterhaus Berlin Mitte. Media partners: Siegessäule, taz and Berlin Art Link.