Fot. Georgia Foulkes Taylor
On Sunday, 17 July 2016 (7 pm), Warsaw?s Nowy Theatre (ul. Madalińskiego 10/16) will host a presentation of Made in Bangladesh, a unique piece by German director and choreographer Helena Waldmann. Joined by 12 Bangladeshi kathak dancers, Waldmann visited textile factories in Bangladesh and explored the local working conditions, converting them into her choreography inspired by repeated gestures performed by the employees at the plants. ?I am not strong enough to do this work. I keep being exploited and coerced? ? this, and other statements by the seamstresses recurrently appear on the screen throughout the performance. Conversely, the artists on stage proclaim to be ?proud of being a part of the fashion industry, proud of my independence?. The contradictory opinions voiced by the seamstresses reflect the unsolved and insoluble problems encountered by Waldmann during her research in Bangladesh.
The second part of the piece features analogies to the European cultural sector and its self-exploiting structures. Made in Bangladesh is an inconvenient performance, whose consistency and physical plasticity contributes an artistic expression of the intimidating employment relationships in today?s world.
Choreography: Helena Waldmann
Starring: Munmun Ahmed, Shammy Akter, Shareen Ferdous, Masum Hossain, Urme Irin, Mela Lamiya, Trina Mehnaz, Hanif Mohammad, Tumtumi Nuzaba, Bishwazit Sarkar, Shoma Sharmin, Labonno Sultana
Choreographic collaboration: Vikram Iyengar
Dancer in the video: Brit Rodemund
Composition and music: Daniel Dorsch
Music direction and composition: Hans Navara
Costumes: Hanif Kaiser, Judith Adam
Video: Anna Saup
Following the presentation, Piotr Gruszczyński (dramaturge at the Nowy Theatre) will host a conversation with director Helena Waldmann, dancer and choreographer Edytak Kozak and journalist Max Cegielski.
Tickets (full-price / discount / entrance card): PLN 50/35/20
The event is organized as part of the Polish-German Jubilee/Anniversary Year 2016 ?ŚWIĘTUJEMY? [we?re celebrating!] organized by the Goethe-Institute and the German Embassy to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Polish-German Treaty of Good Neighbourship and Friendly Cooperation.
