Fia Neises «With or without you» – a queer-crip dance performance
Audioflyer Fia Neises
«With or without you» – I need you, I don't need you. You assist me - nonetheless. Access Intimacy (Mia Mingus) describes the deep, beautiful, perhaps even erotic, unmistakable intimacy in moments of assistance.
«You squeeze my hand as the steps start. We dance after the hospital calls. You lead me, we're holding hands, are we on a date after all? I say thank you and you just ask: for what?»
Intimacy is the elusive feeling of warmth, eroticism, vulnerability and/or gentleness that can be familiar and uncomfortable at the same time.
Access
- Duration: 60 minutes
- Interactive moments with sign language (DSGS).
- English and German subtitles
- The performance is based on a dramaturgy for blind and visually impaired audiences. It can also be experienced without sight.
- Early boarding (including guided tactile tour)
- Wheelchair accessible
- Relaxed Performance
Intimacy is the elusive feeling of warmth, eroticism, vulnerability and/or gentleness that can be familiar and uncomfortable at the same time. For us as a disabled community, access means being ourselves. In the society we live in, we have to allow intimacy in moments of assistance with fleeting strangers or long-time confidants. Mia Mingus, disabled and queer author and activist of colour, has given us the term "access intimacy" for this specific connection. In «With or without you» , disabled dancers Fia Neises and Irene Giró invite you into spaces of access intimacy. They will mix up habits of seeing, hearing and time and, hanging in the air, indulge in the illusion of independence. Accompanied by musician Jana Sotzko, they share stories of ambivalence and intimacy in assistance. Anyone who wants to can become an active part of it, or enjoy watching.
Credits
Artistic Direction / Performance: Fia Neises
Artistic Co-Creation / Silk Training / Performance: Irene Giró
Live Music, Audio Description Post-Production: Jana Sotzko
Concept and Narration: Saioa Alvarez Ruiz
Dramaturgy: Tanja Erhart
Artistic Co-Creation: Liv Schellander
Dramaturgical Support for Aesthetic Accessibility: Ari Althaus, Xenia Dürr, Stefanie Heller, Silja Korn, Rita Mazza, Zwoisy Mears Clarke, Nina Mühlemann, Miles Wendt
Production Management: Olivia Hotz
Technical Direction: Lola Tseytlin
Set Design: Lea Kissing
Lighting Design: Gretchen Blegen
Costumes: Merle Richter
Titles Everywhere: Maria Wünsche
Film Documentation: Tanja Brzaković, Max Matthiessen, Jelena Bosanac
Photography: Xenia Dürr, Mayra Wallraff
A production by Sophia Neises, supported by the network «Making a Difference» in collaboration with Uferstudios Berlin. Funded by the Senate for Culture and Social Cohesion / IMPACT Funding.
Sophia Neises is a performer, choreographer, dramaturg specializing in accessibility, theater educator (MA University of the Arts Berlin), and disability rights activist in the cultural sector. In 2019, she collaborated with Jess Curtis/Gravity in the performance "(In)visible" to explore a dance aesthetic accessible to blind and visually impaired audiences. Since then, she has been dedicated to exploring the spectrum of audio description as an accessibility offering and as an art form. She identifies as a disabled artist and encourages the maximization of individual perception styles and the creation of unconditional access to art from the very beginning of the creative process.
Homepage disframe
The Migros Culture Percentage's funding and network project for inclusive cultural practice briefly.
Funding
You can find support offers for your project here.
Network
Here you can find out everything about alliances, collaborations and other events.