ZÜRICH TANZT at Gessnerallee

Dear visitors to Gessnerallee, dear artists

If you fancy you can dance into May tonight, but if that's too early for you, you can look forward to the ZÜRICH TANZT festival, which will set the whole city in motion in just two weeks. 

Every year in May, ZÜRICH TANZT brings local, national and international dance creation to life throughout the city. The programme is full of different formats to watch and participate in: Crash courses, stage plays, performances, dance tours, battles, balls, films, workshops, parties, raves and other gatherings.

The festival is also present at Gessnerallee, in this year's edition with local and international pearls of choreography, music - and the art scene. The good thing is that you can combine visits to the works (see tips below).

In ‘MIRLITONS’ on 16 and 17 May at 10 pm, Aymeric Hainaux and François Chaignaud engage in an exuberant, rhythmically nerdy dance battle. A small stage element, shoes, microphones, idiosyncratic noises and the audience all around - that's all it takes for this impressive concert, ritual and dance performance. Incidentally, this is not François Chaignaud's first time as a guest at Gessnerallee. Back in 2012, he captivated Zurich audiences with the work ‘(M)IMOSA / Twenty Looks or Paris Is Burning at the Judson Church (M)’, which was created in collaboration with Cecilia Bengolea, Trajall Harrell and Marlene Monteiro Freitas.

On 17 May at 8 pm and 18 May at 6 pm, Italian choreographer Chiara Bersani will present ‘Gentle Unicorn’, a subtle choreography about social attributions and voyeuristic gazes. People attribute magical powers and mythical meanings to the unicorn. But what does the unicorn itself have to say? If you want to find out more, read the interview ‘Politische Körper und bequeme Scheisse’ (only in German) with Chiara Bersani and Gessnerallee dramaturge Noa Winter in the Gessnerallee newspaper. Here, Bersani shares her experiences of the difficult situation for disabled artists in Italy and talks about her concept of the political body and the importance of time in the performative arts.

In addition, the Südbühne will be transformed at different times during the three days of the festival from 16 to 18 May into a walk-in installation that can be entered and exited by visitors at any time during the event. ‘Water the Earth, Polish the Steel, Tighten the Threads’ is the result of joint research by dancer and choreographer Simone Aughterlony and visual artists Sarah Burger, Johanna Kotlaris and Dafi Kühne on the subject of hands. The work deals with different aspects of touching and acting. The results are drawings, objects, prints and performative miniatures.

And here are our combination tips for an enjoyable evening at Gessnerallee:

16 May 

• 6 pm - 10 pm ‘Water the Earth, Polish the Steel, Tighten the Threads’

• 10 pm ‘MIRLITONS’

17 May 

• 4 pm - 8 pm ‘Water the Earth, Polish the Steel, Tighten the Threads’

• 8 pm ‘Gentle Unicorn’

• 10 pm ‘MIRLITONS’

18 May

• 2 pm - 6 pm ‘Water the Earth, Polish the Steel, Tighten the Threads’

• 6 pm ‘Gentle Unicorn’

Now for the weekly overview of the programme, newspaper articles, news and everything we want to share with you:

Programme recommendation for the coming week

8, 10, 12, 13 May, 8 pm

‘In Case of Emergency’ by Extraleben

When the Sihldamm in Einsiedeln bursts, the Gessnerallee has to be evacuated. The work simulates an emergency and scrutinises the premises of disaster prevention in a critical and playful way. More information

Newspaper

‘Politische Körper und bequeme Scheisse’

Chiara Bersani, disabled choreographer and performer, shares her experiences with Noa Winter, disabled dramaturge at the Gessnerallee, about the difficult situation for disabled artists in Italy and talks about the importance of time in the performative arts. To the article (only in German)

We look forward to a dancing Zurich and your visit.

The Gessnerallee team

PS: Do you enjoy good cultural stories? Or do you know someone who doesn't like going to the theatre so much, but loves reading? Then we recommend a subscription to our printed newspaper, which is published four times a season. It costs CHF 20 (excl. postage) and you can order it directly at zeitung@gessnerallee.ch.