By John Owoo
(Berlin – Germany)
“Yêrêwolo,” a mesmerizing duet performed by dancers whose bodies have been masterfully shaped by their skilled craft, acted as both a choreographic exploration and a political statement at the ongoing Kuyum Tanzplattform at the Ufer Studios in Berlin.
Choreographed by Ahmed Soura, who also performed as a dancer, the piece, which draws inspiration from the ideologies of the former and current Burkinabe revolutionary leaders Thomas Sankara and Ibrahim Traoré, explores how systems of oppression and dependency continue to influence modern society.
With music by Compassion Image and Gambo Roch Dja and a minimal scenography made of sacks, the performance imagines pathways of resistance—a rebellious community that aims to harness its own internal resources, break free from external domination, and claim sovereignty.
Although the artists moved in unison, they displayed different movements as they crisscrossed the stage while calling for autonomy and collective self-determination. Indeed, they pushed themselves into heightened awareness, turning their bodies into sites of labor and liberation while excavating layers of memory, struggle, and transformation.
Conceptualized by Felix Dompreh, movements fluctuated between defiance and grounded resilience, embodying both the weight of history and the potential for emancipation. The dancers’ bodies, marked by intensity and endurance, show how physical practice itself can serve as an act of rebellion.
In another performance, Camille Badirou took the audience through a solo piece that explored memory, trauma, and resilience while showing the body as an archive and instrument of resistance. Indeed, it confronts the wounds and silences left by slavery and colonialism, refusing to let them remain buried beneath the weight of history.
Titled “Na Kalonia,” the choreography demonstrates a physical focus that feels both deeply rooted and uncontainable. In fact, gestures shift between grounded weight and expressive movement, not only remembering history but reimagining it and providing strength for the present.
It celebrates cultural identity and the courage to embrace it fully, reminding us that memory—collective, embodied, and ancestral—can be a tool of empowerment. With its relentless energy, the piece not only preserves history but also reimagines it, offering strength for today.
Kuyum Tanzplattform 2025 is being sponsored by Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt, Hochschulübergreifendes Zentrum Tanz Berlin, Ufer Studios, Theatre Haus Berlin, Kulturplakatierung Dinamix, Rausgegangen and Tip Berlin.
