Im Rahmen der Wienwoche geben die Künstlerinnen Magdalena und Elizabeth Ballettunterricht in der Lugner City. Antifaschistischen Ballettuntericht. Wir haben den beiden 3 Fragen gestellt.
01 Lugner City (© Andrea Creutz)
02 Lugner City (© Andrea Creutz)
03 Lugner City (© Andrea Creutz)
04 Lugner City (© Andrea Creutz)
05 Lugner City (© Andrea Creutz)
06 Lugner City (© Andrea Creutz)
07 Lugner City (© Andrea Creutz)
08 Lugner City (© Andrea Creutz)
Die Lugner City ist ein Ort voller Überraschungen. Unerwartet war es nämlich allemal, als man auf der Suche nach auskunftsfreudigen Menschen für eine Umfrage zum Thema Angst zufällig auf drei Künstlerinnen aus Polen, Schweden und den USA traf, die ebenfalls ein Projekt im ehrenwerten RH5H-Shoppingtempel planten. Zwei davon sind Magdalena Chowaniec und Elizabeth Ward.
Beide haben Ballett studiert, bevor es sie in die DIY-Punkszene und zum Zeitgenössischen Tanz verschlug und beide sind sie heute auch als Tänzerinnen und Choreographinnen tätig – unter anderem arbeiten sie im Zuge ihrer Theater- und Community-Kunstprojekten mit MigrantInnen und Geflüchteten zusammen. Zu ihrem aktuellen Projekt, die Antifaschistische Ballettschule in der Lugner City, haben wir ihnen drei Fragen gestellt.
Lugner City is surprisingly quite an international space actually. When we met there by chance (asking you a question for another article), we were all quite amazed about the fact that so many people from abroad seem to choose the place to hang out. What intrigued you about Lugner City in particular? And was it hard to get in?
Lugner City was surprisingly easy to get into. Wienwoche contacted them and they said yes. We were interested in working in Lugner City exactly because of the mix of people that come to the space.
As you already mentioned, your Anti-Fascist Ballet Classes take place within the context of the local festival Wienwoche. How did you come up with the idea originally?
The Anti-Fascist ballet school was a proposal, a question. It’s not finished and we will make it together with the participants during our days together. Partly it came out of the feeling that it’s time to think about what Fascism is today and therefore what Anti-Fascism could be. As far right rhetoric is gaining popularity in our home countries and here in Austria we chose to name the school and think it through. In this way it stays a questioning and a research.
Both of us have pretty hardcore backgrounds in ballet so we choose to use Ballet as the medium to think through fascism and anti-fascism – both, what that means societally and on a personal bodily level. If we had trained in a different form, say woodworking, maybe it would have been an anti-fascist woodworking school. What’s important for us is to question learning, teaching, doing, individualism, collectivism, and at the same time go for a joy that we have felt in dancing.
Can we expect different dance moves compared to "normal“ Ballett? What are shoppers and others about to see?
What’s "normal" Ballet? In the 20’s the ballet’s were much more radical than we see today. We structure the class on a ballet libretto and we use ballet vocabulary and the meaning behind the words. Changement is a jump in ballet, but it also means change. Echappé is another jump which means escape. This class is not about mastering your ballet skills, but about a new use for ballet technique. We throw out the competitive aspect and hierarchial order and dance a ballet in Lugner City that follows the ethos of punk- questioning norms and becoming an active agent in the doing regardless of skill.
Die Anti-Fascist Ballet School wird vom 19. bis 21. September zwischen 15 und 17 Uhr in der Lugner City stattfinden.
