“CAFFEE” is all about coffee, touching issues of migration and post-colonialism as much as individualfeminist connections to an ambivalent global trade good: coffee. “CAFFEE” has been conceived as a “modular” performance, which means that several choreographer have been invited to create “modules”, segments / scenes of the performance based on clearly defined rules provided by post theater. All modules had to follow strict parameters: they had to be a solo of 8 minutes sharp with no other stage design than an installation provided by theater, no other music than the one provided by Sibin Vassilev which could only consist of coffee-related noises and one particular melody, no video projection other than the one provided by post theater’s Hiroko Tanahashi and Yoann Trellu which could only consist of coffee-related images.
The piece won the Bremen Authors’ Award 2010.
Premiere and Touring
Premiere:
Schwankhalle Bremen, 2012
Touring to:
Theater Rampe (Stuttgart), Studiobühne Köln (Cologne),
Dock 11 (Berlin)
Press Quotes
“…five independent dance pieces are joint by an ingenious construction and become a unified whole… Due to the very smart video installation by Hiroko Tanahashi the pieces receive a visual and sensual frame. Another unifying element are the amusing and easy-going coffee anecdotes by Alexander Schröder, some of them being ironic reflections of the drink. As different as the individual elements of movement theater might be – they are tightly connected in their entertaining course.”
(Arnim Bauer, Ludwigsburger Kreiszeitung, 16.1.2012)
“Max Schumacher and Hiroko Tanahashi create a sensual, humorous and entertaining multi-media post theater dance performance. Colors of white and caramel up to all kinds of brown float as film over walls and floor… The finale by the international artists appears as the most beautiful living advertisement for coffee that ever existed.”
(Brigitte Jähnigen, Stuttgarter Nachrichten, 17.1.2012)
Documentation
Credits
Artistic direction: Hiroko Tanahashi and Max Schumacher
Choreography / dancers: Bahar Gökten, Kira Senkpiel, Magali Sander Fett, Yui Kawaguchi mit Yuko Sato, Diane Busuttil
Understudies: Daniela Rodriguez, Angela Kecinski, Liz Erber
Performers: Alexander Schröder,
Dramaturgy: Max Schumacher
Video artists: Hiroko Tanahashi, Yoann Trellu
Sound artist: Sibin Vassilev
Production management: Mario Stumpfe
Funded by: Schwankhalle Bremen, Cultural office of Bremen, K. u. U. Hollweg Foundation, Kulturamt Stuttgart, Fonds Darstellende Künste, Land Baden Württemberg