Sasha Waltz

The choreographer Sasha Waltz is known for her unique interplay of the image, body and space. Her choreographies often contain elements which can later serve as installations when the performance run is over. The stage then becomes an exhibition venue and the ephemeral form of dance is transformed into a permanent installation.
Sasha Waltz and her company have performed at the Jewish Museum in Berlin, the Neues Museum Berlin and the MAXXI in Rome where her dance performances, featuring practically motionless, hanging bodies, demonstrated that her form of dance has much in common with immobile sculptures. For this project, the ZKM has provided her with a room to display the installations she has developed for her choreographic experiments. The exhibition included sculptural and media-based elements used in her works of the 1990s, large (stage) pieces, which were made during her time at the Schaubühne, as well as video installations which she developed for major opera projects. Performances, which served as the medium between movement and imagery, illustrated the dialogue between modern art and contemporary dance. Based on many years of studying the development of dance and performance, the ZKM wanted to present the relationship between art and dance as portrayed by Sasha Waltz and her company. The project came on the occasion of a double anniversary; not only has Sasha Waltz turned 50 this year, but her company “Sasha Waltz & Guests” celebrated its 20th anniversary. The city of Karlsruhe also plays a special role as the city of Waltz’s birth and the place where she received her first dance training.

Artistic director: Peter Weibel
Artist: Sasha Waltz