Dance performance by

Yolanda Gutiérrez and Jens Dietrich

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Political BodiesDance performance

“Do you know who I am?“ – a question often heard during the rehears-

als for Political Bodies in Dakar’s Grand Théâtre. Rather than wait for a

response, B-Boy Ben-J answers with an impromptu improvisation of his

own dance style. It is only fitting that this battle style bravado be show-

cased and celebrated. That’s what the Senegalese protest movement Y’en

a marre (“We’re fed up“) did when their founders started their outcry of

resistance in 2011. They presented themselves to hundreds of thousands

of people in the streets, giving them a voice through movement to articu-

late the undercurrents of discontent and the desire for change. Instead

of blaming those in power, they took responsibility for themselves. “It’s

about us. We have to change ourselves to change the country.” Subse-

quently Y’en a marre‘s work had the desired effect: the Senegalese peo-

ple voted their former, blatantly corrupt president out of power and the

movement gained an increasing amount of public attention.

To be re-elected for the third time President Abdoulaye Wade had

changed the constitution and intimidated the opposition, but he was

stopped by this peaceful and democratic public movement. From June

2011 to January 2012 mass protests shook the country. The source of

initiation and execution of the protest was the people‘s organization Y’en

a marre, established by Senegal‘s famous intellectuals, artists and musi-

cians.

The movement pursued a peaceful though effective protest strategy

Trailer of Political-Bodies- Performance:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgCurJuXuOQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0IzgvfoaBo

Full Performance:https://vimeo.com/134723756

Passwort: NTSmoderne

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and became the most powerful expression of the country‘s discontent.

They applied the vocabulary of Hip Hop culture, putting political mes-

sages into rap music, mixing French with the country‘s mother tongue

Wolof and created a protest form that they referred to as “urban guerrilla

poetry“. The activists showed up in the capital’s public places, entered

overcrowded busses and winding market alleys to reach the youth with

their songs and choreographies, a blend of martial arts and breakdance

elements.

The piece Political Bodies, produced between December 2014 and

February 2015 in Dakar and Hamburg, was mainly inspired by Y’en a

marre’s way of protesting. The body language used by battle groups

mixed with Bboying, Krump, and contemporary dance techniques, the

gestures of dissent, the expression of power of bodies in alliance – all

these elements are implemented to develop a rhythmic vocabulary of

resistance. As in all vocabularies contradictions and oppositions are jux-

taposed to create a synthesis of expression. The feeling of individual frus-

tration is confronted with the need to change the Senegalese society;

the unruly concept of the Afro Dandy meets the humble spirituality of

Senegalese Sufism.

The soundscape of Political Bodies merges the rough sound of under-

ground rapper and Senegalese Hip Hop legend Matador with religious

chants; West African drums with modern beats; hard Kuduro music with

the streets sounds of Dakar. Between the discourse of African liberation

and the choreography of mass protests the dancers explore how the body

can be a device of resistance through expression, how fight and dance

are interrelated, how their biography of struggle fed the fire that burned

within them to spawn their own social revolution.

Concept and artistic direction: Yolanda Gutiérrez (Choreography), Jens Dietrich(Dramaturgy) Artistic assistance: Daniel Chelminiak Set design: Anton LukasCostumes: Tukki Mode Producer: Janosch Pomerenke Consulting Senegal: Djily Bagdad Corporate Design: Daniel SauthoffWith: Baïdy Bâ, B-Boy Abdallah, B-Boy Ben-J, Papa Sangone Vieira, Lamine Diagne,Matador, Zen Jefferson

A production by: Political Bodies GbR in cooperation with Kampnagel (Hamburg),HipHop Academy Hamburg, Kulturstiftung des Bundes, Theater im Bauturm (Köln),L’école de Sables (Dakar), Africulturban (Dakar) Funded by the: TURN Fund of the German Federal Cultural Foundation, Ministry of Culture Hamburg, Hamburgische Kulturstiftung, Rudolf-Augstein-Foundation, District Office Cologne, Goethe-Institute Dakar

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Quotes

Political Bodies in HAMBURG

Deutschlandfunk, 04.02.2014http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/political-bodies-widerstand-in-bewe-

gung.807.de.html?dram:article_id=310703

“Resistance in motion””[…] and even if we can’t understand the lyrics, there’s this massive energy that those 5 young men physically express on stage […] “

Le Monde.fr / Le Monde Afrique 05.02.2015 http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/video/2015/02/05/political-bodies-le-

nouveau-cri-de-revolte-de-la-jeunesse-senegalaise_4570471_3212.html

“Political Bodies“, le nouveau cri de révolte de la jeunesse sénégalaise

“Political Bodies – an outcry of Senegal’s revolting youth“

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taz / 04.02.2015Der widerständige Körper

http://www.taz.de/1/archiv/digitaz/artikel/?ressort=ku&dig=2015%2F02

%2F04%2Fa0108&cHash=c35fe0be399f6ab4b1c0645ba05a93e9

“Even if the basis of ‘Political Bodies’ is strongly bounded to the personal history of the dancers and their country the piece is not reduced to Dakar’s political Hip-Hop-scene or resistance in Senegal. The subject is a global one: Resistance, mobilization, reformable and changing realities of life. Global Hip-Hop culture with its numerous styles and directions is a suitable platform for those themes. ‘Political Bodies’ demonstrates that it’s not reduced to the streets but also suitable at best for a stage performance.”

taz berlin / nord 31.01.2015Körper als Waffe

http://www.taz.de/1/archiv/digitaz/artikel/?ressort=ku&dig=2015%2F01

%2F31%2Fa0228&cHash=354f273363f4e9939741e77908fdddac

SPEX / 04.02.2015Political Bodies: Afrikanischer HipHop auf Kampnagel

http://www.spex.de/2015/02/04/political-bodies-afrikanischer-hiphop-

auf-kampnagel/

ZEIT online/ 04.02.2015Political Bodies:

http://blog.zeit.de/hamburg-veranstaltungen/2015/02/04/political-bod-

ies_7763

Au-Senegal.com / 28.01.2015“Political Bodies”: Y’en a marre inspire la danse

http://www.au-senegal.com/political-bodies-y-en-a-marre-inspire-la-

danse%2c10646.html?lang=fr

Urbanshit / 26.01.2015“Political Bodies” – Kampnagel widmet sich dem Thema Hip Hop als

urbane Protestform

http://urbanshit.de/political-bodies-kampnagel-widmet-sich-dem-thema-

hip-hop-als-urbane-protestform/

“… Within the dialogue of dancers and musicians they develop a dance vocabulary of political fight that examines the relation between body and politics, artistic action and political mobilization by the exam-ple of the ’Y’en a marre’-movement. …“

Backspin / 06.01.2015Kampnagel lädt ein: Tanz, Musik und Symposium zum Thema „African

Hip-Hop – A lesson for european democracy“

http://www.backspin.de/news/kampnagel-laed-ein-tanz-musik-und-sym-

posium-zum-thema-african-hip-hop-lesson-european-democrazy/

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B Boy Style / 06.01.2015Political Bodies: afrikanisches Tanz- und Musikprojekt

http://www.bboy-style.de/political-bodies-afrikanisches-tanz-und-musik-

projekt/

tba Journal / 06.02.2015 (Uni HH)Political Bodies: Breakdance in Hamburg

http://tbajournal.com/?p=5026

“Not necessarily a part of the African diaspora, yet an important part of Africa’s cultural heritage and con-temporary artists will be presented through Political Bodies.”

Germany Events / 04.01.2015Hamburg: Political Bodies

http://gvents.de/hamburg-political-bodies/134900

Political Bodies in KÖLN

WDR 3 + WDR 5/11.02.2015, ”Getanzter Protest“ Beitrag von Peter Backof

http://www.wdr3.de/buehne/politicalbodies102.html

http://www.wdr3.de/av/audiopoliticalbodiessenegalesischehiphopcom-

boauftourneewdr100-audioplayer.html

http://www.wdr5.de/sendungen/scala/hip_hop_combo100.html

”[…] What is a political body? There are various lev-els in the piece like raising fists and throwing stones. Those can easily be connected to street visibility and protests. So the idea was born to show a revue of political gestures of protest that are performed in an acrobatic and pantomimic way. The content of Politi-cal Bodies exceeds Senegal and the refurbishment of the ’Y’en a marre’-movement. […].”

KR /12.02.2015, „[…] Aktionsgeladenes Gastspiel aus dem Senegal“

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Performance at Kampnagel, Hamburg Performance at Kampnagel, Hamburg

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Performance at Kampnagel, Hamburg Performance at Kampnagel, Hamburg

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Performance at Kampnagel, Hamburg Performance at Kampnagel, Hamburg

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Performance at Kampnagel, Hamburg Performance at Kampnagel, Hamburg

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Performance at Kampnagel, HamburgPerformance at Kampnagel, Hamburg

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Performance at Kampnagel, HamburgPerformance at Kampnagel, Hamburg

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Rehearsal Process

The main period of rehearsals at the Grand Théâtre National in Dakar

and Ecole des Sables in the neighboring coastal village of Toubab Dialaw

turned out to be very efficient. It took little time at the Grand Théâtre to

work out a basis to be refined and expanded in Toubab Dialaw.

The start of a rehearsal day consisted of warm-ups and improvisations,

which allowed the dancers an opportunity to explore the play’s content

and amend their own interpretation verbally or by a change in choreogra-

phy. It soon became obvious that their attitudes were intriguingly diverse

and different from Senegal’s mainstream media. Thus, an important pro-

cess of reinterpretation came to life. Personal biographies and experi-

ences within the protest were put forth, such that the “political body“

needed a new outline and a new discussion.

In Ecole des Sables, the group intensified the work with a clear focus

on the choreography and development of the scenes, including set and

costumes while pairing down the corresponding musical elements. With

this new approach, Matador‘s songs were able to enrich the play and give

it a distinct tone. The dancers began to connect and critique the common

thread between politicians and power with playful re-enacting of preten-

tious constructions like the strongly criticized Monument de la Renais-

sance Africaine.

Through this critique the dancers came up with their own way to con-

struct monuments of resistance that could easily be performed by anyone.

This expressive monument of self-determination of the Senegalese youth

points to an important upheaval of the postcolonial generation‘s con-

sciousness. It not only disrupts a Western expectation of values, but it also

highlights the existing ones that tend to be disregarded. Y’en a marre‘s

“New type of Senegalese“ is thus being substituted by “The same type of

Senegalese but modern“. What could be better than to offer those values

a fluid, soulful political body and a new language?

Instead of creating new dance styles, the dancers chose to synthesize

existing patterns of movement; the revolution taking place in the body

through a change of habit and perspective. The five dancers connect their

own styles and assemble their energies to culminate in a powerful and

sanguine performance. They create a living entity that contrasts the rigid

constructs of the politicians and invites a review and update of one‘s own

patterns of thinking and course of motions.

Yolanda Gutiérrez, Choreographer

Jens Dietrich, Dramaturge

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Biographies

Yolanda Gutiérrez studied Modern Dance in Mexico City and New Dance

& Performance in Hannover. She´s been working with video since 2001.

Her project SUPERHERO became an award from the Bundeszentrale für

politische Bildung in Germany and her project with scholars SUPERHERO

ACADEMY was nominated under the best youth Theater Project from the

Berliner Festspiele – Theatertreffen der Jugend. Since 2010 she worked

together with the renowned Hamburg Theatre Kampnagel.

Jens Dietrich, dramaturge and curator based in Hamburg, studied

applied theater studies in Gießen under the director and composer Heiner

Goebbels. After his studies he worked at Richard Foreman‘s Ontological

Theater in New York and at the Bühnen der Stadt Köln and the Theater

Freiburg. He worked on numerous international theatre productions and

has been cofounder of the Fleetstreet Theatre in Hamburg. From 2009

to 2013 he joined the International Institute of Political Murder, and

started to collaborate with Yolanda in Political Bodies in 2014.

Tukki (alias Cheikh Talibouya Dabo),

Fashion and Costume Designer

Tukki studied fashion in Senegal and Spain.

From 2007 to 2010 he was a fashion and

design instructor in Dakar. He works and

lives mainly in Dakar and Abidjan while his

label reached as far as Washington D.C..

His artful urban afro designs were exposed

in various fashion events and photo shoot-

ings such as XEEX and the Biennale DakArt

Fashion Awards. Furthermore he designed

costumes for the Senegalese dance groups

Afreekanam, Punisher and Glamour.

B-Boy Abdallah (alias Abdoulaye Diallo),

B-Boy

Abdallah’s repertoire includes breakdance,

house, locking and popping, traditional

dance and jazz. B-Boy in the dance crews

Punisher and Cie.Kaddu since 2004 he has

been successfully participating in national

and international breakdance competitions.

Senegal’s official breakdance-champion for

three years in a row from 2009 to 2011, win-

ner of the Red Bull Cypher Senegal and

qualification for the international Red Bull

Middle East Africa in Morocco in 2012 and

in 2013 representative of Senegal with the

Punisher crew at the Francophonie festival

in Nice. As the winner of Red Bull Senegal

in 2014 he proved his talent at the Red Bull

Africa Competition in Algeria.

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Baïdy Bâ, Krumper

Originally fom Kaolack Baïdy studied dance

in his hometown, Dakar, Saint-Louis and

Toubab Dialaw and completed with 2 diplo-

mas. Focused on Hip-Hop his repertoire

covers also traditional and contemporary

dance and he won the national dance con-

test Kaay Feec in the category Juste Debout

(Popping) in 2011. With Afro Krump Baïdy

created his proper dance style which com-

bines elements of Sabar, traditional African

dance and Krump.

Lamine Diagne, Dancer and Choreograph

Lamine dances overall Dancehall and Hip-

Hop besides traditional and contemporary

dance. In 2011 and 2012 he ran dance

work shops in diverse schools in Dakar and

performed with the dance company X-trail

Dance. He cooperated with the German

company Steptext Dance Project in the pro-

ject Création Home and worked with the

French-Italian-Westafrican exchange project

Creátion Macadam Instinct.

B-Boy Ben-J (Mbegné Kassé), B-Boy

Ben-J was a member of the Med Break group

in Medina for several years. Since 2005 he is

part of the Crazy Elements Crew, winner of

the Battle National Hip-Hop Dance 2007. As

the first Senegalese B-Boy he got chosen for

the Red Bull BC One. He started instructing

kids at the Empire des Enfants (Anta Mbow)

in 2008 and received an artist scholarship in

the Netherlands in 2013. Until today he has

been taking part in battles and international

competitions as B-Boy and jury member.

Papa Sangoné Vieira, Dance

In Dakar Vieira started learning different

forms of martial arts at the early age of 7

and crossed HipHop dance via gymnastics

and Capoeira. He became one of the found-

ers of the Afro Pop dance where Hip-Hop is

fused with the energy and vibrancy of tra-

ditional African dance and presented in a

new context. He established Afreekanam, a

community to explore the crossroads of tra-

dition and modernity.

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Matador, Rapper

He is one of the most prominent figures

of the Hip-Hop underground in Senegal.

Founding member of Thiaroye’s group WA

BMG 44 Matador has been touring world-

wide and gained international recognition

and respect. Since 2006 his struggle to rep-

resent the voiceless youth of his country has

taken a new turn with the creation of Africul-

turban, a cultural center in the Dakar suburb

of Pikine. By the work of Africulturban Mata-

dor pursues his social and political goals

while being the incarnation of the “Number

One System Enemy” und “General Major

Chief of the Dying People Army”.

Zen Jefferson, DJ

In 2009 Zen started experimenting with

music and sounds in Berlin and continued

his mission in France and Belgium. He is

particularly dedicated to traditional African

melodies, rhythms and beats and their influ-

ence on today’s popular music. His objec-

tive is to unify and inspire people by the

eternal power of ancient music in a modern

context.

Annette Buschermöhle

buschermoehle@politicalbodies.de

Mobile: 49 179 8849574

skype: annette.berlinesque

Contact

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Impressum

Copyright © 2015 by Yolanda Gutiérrez & Jens Dietrich GbR

Design Daniel Sauthoff, Hamburg