Folk Dance Party 2.0

The large-scale participatory projects of the Hessisches Staatsballett offer an extraordinary dance experience

This time, we’re heading outdoors, and the audience becomes the participants.

Together with Frankfurt-based choreographer and dance professor Hannah Shakti Bühler and Austrian dancer and choreographer Simon Mayer, the Hessisches Staatsballett is planning a large outdoor “dance event” where everyone is invited to join in and dance.

Folkdanceparty is a hosted dance floor—a celebration of community and an exploration of the art of festivity as a resource in times of instability. Inspired by old and new traditions and rituals, the audience is invited on a journey through various dance styles and games, alternating between participatory, guided, and performative moments.

The dance floor will be musically accompanied by DJ sets and live music from Simon Mayer, Hannah Shakti Bühler, and guest musicians.

Workshop

Anyone interested can join one of the two preparatory workshops. These workshops offer the opportunity to dive into the artists’ practice and research while getting to know the key elements of the FolkDanceParty.

Participants will explore various dance styles, formations, and traditions, delving deeper into collective dance experiences. The goal is to share the insights, developed forms, and dances with a larger audience during the FolkDanceParty.

Dance Floor Hosting

Simon Mayer’s and Hannah Shakti Bühler’s research is based on exploring traditions and feelings of belonging, and how these are embodied in the current social and political context. This shared interest led to the creation of the stage piece Somatic Tratata: Rhythm, Rapture and Romance in 2022, which is currently touring internationally.

In times of widespread political conflict and global challenges, we ask ourselves: How can we create spaces for collective rituals and experiences that use dance, music, and physical expression to enable new forms of community, bodily dialogue, and healing gatherings?

In their dual role as performers and facilitators, they have developed a practice focused on participatory, immersive formats and dance floor hosting (Performer-Facilitator Training), which they share through workshops.

Hannah Shakti Bühler

Born in Germany but raised in Italy, Hannah Shakti Bühler studied contemporary dance at Laban Trinity College in London, where she earned her BA (Hons) in Dance Theatre in 2006.

Her performance practice has taken her to various companies, including Retina Dance Co. in the UK, Centro Coreografico Galego in Spain, and T.r.a.s.h. DansPerformanceGroup in the Netherlands.

In 2015, she completed the MACoDE (Master in Contemporary Dance Education) at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt am Main.

That same year, she co-founded the choreographic duo Hicks&Bühler with Laura Hicks, establishing herself in the independent dance scene in Frankfurt am Main.

Together, they created Reaching Towards (2017), Der Klumpen (2018), and Strange Loops (2019). In September 2016, she began her teaching career at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt am Main in the Department of Acting.

Since September 2018, she has been a professor of contemporary dance in the BAtanz program, focusing on the transfer between somatic practices and contemporary dance.

In collaboration with Simon Mayer, she developed the piece Somatic Tratata – Rhythm, Rapture and Romance, which premiered in November 2022 as part of the Rhein-Main Dance Festival and is currently touring internationally.

Simon Mayer

Simon Mayer, born in 1984 in Austria, is a choreographer, musician, and performer. He studied at the Ballet School of the Vienna State Opera and at P.A.R.T.S. in Brussels, and was a member of the ballet of the Vienna State Opera. As a musician and singer, Simon founded and played in various bands (Rising Halfmoon, C.O.P.), released audio performances of his stage productions, and creates his own music.

As a dancer, choreographer, and musician, he has been involved in productions by Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker/Rosas (The Song), Wim Vandekeybus, and Zita Swoon. His choreographic repertoire includes solos, duets, group pieces, as well as socially engaged and immersive events, such as SunBengSitting, Sons of Sissy, Oh Magic, Volxfest, and Being Moved. His works are performed internationally.

Photo: Franzi Kreis

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