Book Launch, Reconstruction, Film Screening by Irene Sieben, Anna Till, Thomas Schallmann
Manja Chmièl (1922–2006) was far ahead of her time. As Mary Wigman's assistant, she turned away from expressionist dance in 1962 to position herself on equal footing with contemporary music, literature, and abstract arts. She founded her company Neuer Tanz Berlin, Germany's first independent dance company. Why has this innovator of contemporary dance been overlooked until now?
Contemporary witness Irene Sieben brings her once most important teacher into the spotlight with her recently published book, "Manja Chmièl – Rebel of New Dance," placing her alongside Dore Hoyer as a key inventor of a specific dance language. The author's reading will be accompanied by Anna Till. The Dresden-based dancer and choreographer has reconstructed three solos by Manja Chmièl. One of these was transcribed into Labanotation by cinematographer Thomas Schallmann in collaboration with Manja Chmièl.
During the screening of historical film footage, the audience on this special evening can experience, among other things, the forgotten dance pioneer in an interview with Walter Höllerer, avant-gardist of the literary scene since the 1960s and founder of the magazine "Akzente".
