It Ends
With Death
A Death Ballet
by b/w*itch Kollektiv
Welcome to the Foyer de la Danse. Nothing less than romantic ballet is in store here—and it begins with death!
Why do queer characters in classical works constantly have to die? What is so dangerous about their queerness? The collective b/w*itch is unwilling to accept this death sentence and, together with dancer Leila Bakhtali, sets out to attack the great ballet classics. With professional dilettantism, the four performers learn ballet and stand up to death. They take on the roles of ghostly Wilis, fallen nuns, swans, and petit rats. They invite us to a ballet of death between reenactment, ritual, and rewriting, in which the relationship of death, queerness, lust, and failure is re-negotiated and dying on stage is called into question.
About b/w*itch
b/w*itch is a queerfeminist collective that approaches political topics in a performative and questioning fashion in order to dismantle the patriarchy in a sensual way. A polyphonic network at the intersection of (sound) performance, choreography, installation, and activism in Hamburg, Bremen, and Berlin. b/w*itch hears stories beyond hegemonic discourses and traces historical continuities into the present. This results in, among other things, participatory night strolls, collaborative games, witch consultations, and practical magic.
bwitch.org ↗
Instagram: @b_w_itch ↗
Credits
Choreography, Sound & Performance: b/w*itch (Reta Schultze, Kattú Mitxelena Newiger, Esther Adam & Katze Greeven)
Co-choreography & performance: Leila Bakhtali
Stage & costume design: Aline Sauer
Dramaturgical consultation/outside eye: Renen Itzhaki
Mentoring on dying/death: Jan Wojewski
Critical observing: Yvonne Sembene
Co-production: Schwankhalle
Supported by: Senator for Culture Bremen, Sparkasse Bremen & the Karin and Uwe Hollweg Foundation.