CHORA is a space of possibilities and potentiality. A space in which things can take place and live in constant breathing, expanding and contracting. A space shared with the audience that suggests our interconnectedness to the world around us through all means of perception. By undertaking a creative process that is inspired by the metaphor of “diffraction” as a mode of thinking, the work seeks an understanding of choreography and the arising of choreographic gestures as the result of the intra-active dynamic between the present bodies and bodies that exist only in potentiality. In a fictional enactment of the multiverse theory, the Big Bang-like movement of the performers repeats over and over again, randomly generating every time a new universe with its own functioning and its own realm. Taking into account the interference patterns given by the other bodies in space (organic and not), the performers take us through a journey in which references to present, past and future take place in the same space-time.

‘Make me Dance’ is a collaboration between Australian dancer and choreographer Alice Heyward and German visual artist Ella CB that examines power dynamics between camera and subject, through our consideration and experience of artist-muse/choreographer-dancer relationships. The choreographer Heyward will ‘make’ the untrained performer Ella CB dance. The negotiation of this process between our two bodies serves as the vehicle in which we examine the delicate relationship between camera and subject/object. Our research explores choreographic gazes on the naked female subject in the role of performer and her reclamation of these affects through relations to cameras (intermediacy, coincidence), to question one’s/our choices in being seen, authoring one’s/our own experience of performance.

Our research project is dedicated to the idea of reverse motion both in the movement and in the sound. I was particularly interested in the possible ways to deal with moving backwards, what tools to use to make this sensation visible, how to create the whole atmosphere of scanning life from the present moment to the past. It is a challenge and that is the most exciting thing for me. I was inspired a lot by the fact that almost all of us have a tendency to analyze our actions post factum, so in our minds we travel to some points of our life where we made these or that decisions which resulted into the present conditions. Therefore, we will try to recreate this mental time traveling into the physical embodiment. This experiment will be conducted also music-wise. All the sounds are going to be reversed and combined in that unnatural way to match with the movement performance. As I see it, the creation is full of suspense and is meant to demonstrate these mental struggles that everyone is familiar with. It is not organic but at the same time is very natural for our mad minds to proceed with the information again and again imagining different scenarios which could have happened if we had made other decisions.

„Untitled“ - about surrounding, environment and climate Das Short Work „untitled“ - das im Zuge des ATLAS Programms des Impulstanzfestival Wien entstand - behandelt Themen um Stadtleben, Umwelt, Klima, Natur und Müllproduktion. Im erweiterten Sinne beschäftigt sich das noch unfertige und im Rechercheprozess befindende Werk mit einer konsumorientierten Gesellschaft, die den Bezug zur Natur verloren und Natürlichkeit in einen der Natur fernen Kontext gesetzt hat.

“I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of over whelming obstacles.” Superman This dance performance for 15+ is about a hero – a pregnant superwoman. In this solo piece, the performer will demonstrate to the audience her superwoman abilities- through a dance that consists of brave actions, strong opinions, and unique abilities. The inspiration for the movement language will come from my personal experiences and research I plan to make with pregnant women in Vienna, involving a questionnaire and physical tasks. The goals of this piece are to present another perspective on the concept of heroes and to contemplate the definition of one. Heroism is an important quality in the eyes of human beings and in each culture or religion we can find stories on it. But mostly, for us all a hero is a person who have unique abilities, perform courage in dangerous setting even willing to endanger his own life. As a society we need heroes first and foremost because they help define the limits of our aspirations. They symbolize qualities we would like to possess and ambitions we would like to fulfill. I believe a true hero is hard to find because it takes a certain selfless character to be one, and he/she must drastically affect another person’s life for the better which leaves a lasting impression. Pregnancy as heroism Pregnant women show trades of heroism. During the 40 weeks of pregnancy a tremendous physiological and mental changes are happening in the body. The hormone Relaxin makes the muscle and ligaments more flexible; Progesterone gives the skin a glowing sight, Oxytocin stimulates feelings of love and trust. On top of the physical ability developed, many risks and complications can happen during pregnancy: gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, high blood pressure and even death. Therefore, my heroes are all women who changed their appearance, gained new powers, face with courage invading examinations and social stereotypes, and are willing to risk their life for another person without any expectation. Repetitively.

Passage - rehearsal for birthing and dying explores the transcendental states of consciousness accompanying birthing and dying, that force one’s entire existence to the here and now, and asks what our culture can learn from those states. We are searching for a co-existence of this primal state and its representation. Inspired by Tableaux Vivants, 5 performers and a musician travel through journeys in a birthing/dying-like state. Moving from this state of openness, perceptiveness and alertness we offer to explore unfamiliar territories of creativity, expansion, multiplicity of identities and new paths into the subconscious. As the performers dive deeper and deeper into the state of transcendence in stillness, in movement and in sound, the viewer is invited to dive into a process starting from the individual's coping with their own birth and death culminating in a collective celebration of life.

'Never Were the Way she Was' is an exploration of internal conflicts, of contrasting emotions ; it is the story of a struggle and a will for liberation. A sensitive yet strong feeling that stops things from happening, that blocks, that tightens. A sensation that invades the body, the air, the mind. A discovery of the sensible being and the obscurity that is hidden within. "Unfurl your fingers one by one until your hand is open. But my hand has been clenched into a fist for years now; it’s frozen shut." Gayle Forman

'losing face' takes a deep dive into the convoluted interweavings of the colonial mindset. Compliance is a small price to pay for an illusion of a quiet existence, but when does existence become submission? Four non-white performers from a variety of movement backgrounds negotiate their place in a predominantly white country – a supposed harmony. Yet, the living portrayal of harmony invites more dissonance making the lullaby of indifference an enchanting tune. Are the performers able to unlearn and untangle oneself from being made to feel less? The more one tries to 'save face one loses it' even more. 'losing face' dances through contradictions of colored truths, negotiating the rhythms of an undeniable urgency.