»In C« – Sasha Waltz & Guests meets tanzmainz

In March of this year, Sasha Waltz & Guests and tanzmainz embarked on their first collaboration: both companies performed »In C« together at the Staatstheater Mainz, accompanied by the Mainz Philharmonic State Orchestra as part of the tanzmainz Festival #5. The Mainz ensemble subsequently added the choreography to its repertoire. The companies will come together again in July to dance »In C«  together from 3 to 6 July at the Radialsystem in Berlin, with live music by the Ensemble Musikfabrik.

Sasha Waltz's colourful exploration of the world of minimal music is based on Terry Riley's revolutionary and open composition of the same name. Together with 10 dancers, the choreographer developed choreographic material in spring 2021 that follows a similarly variable structure and therefore leaves room for ever new variations. »In C«  is an experimental, constantly evolving process that takes the long-standing working approach of Sasha Waltz & Guests and the dialogue between dance, music and space to the next level, both digitally and analogously.

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On 4 July 2025, »In C«  will celebrate its 100th performance. Since its world premiere livestreamed from the Radialsystem in March 2021, the project has toured successfully worldwide and has already been seen in more than 10 countries and 24 cities – with both recorded and live music from a wide variety of musical ensembles, including local ones. At the same time, the material has been passed on to a steadily growing international dance community: diverse, participatory, international and sustainable »In C«  projects, workshop formats and ever new structures have emerged and continue to emerge worldwide.

Concept / Lighting / Choreography

Sasha Waltz

Costumes

Jasmin Lepore

Light

Olaf Danilsen

Concept / Dramaturgy

Jochen Sandig

Dance / Choreography

Sasha Waltz & Guests meets tanzmainz

Live music

Ensemble Musikfabrik

A production by Sasha Waltz & Guests. Made in Radialsystem.

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Sasha Waltz & Guests meets tanzmainz

In 2025, the two companies Sasha Waltz & Guests and tanzmainz will work together for the first time in a multi-part collaboration: The Berlin company kicked off the series with guest performances in Mainz in March. Dancers from both ensembles danced Sasha Waltz's choreography »In C« to music by Terry Riley at the opening of the tanzmainz festival #5. Sasha Waltz & Guests also presented their widely toured production »Beethoven 7« as part of the festival, with live musical accompaniment by the Mainz Philharmonic State Orchestra. In July, the Radialsystem will host joint performances of »In C« as mixed cast of dancers from both ensembles. A guest performance by tanzmainz with Moritz Ostruschnjak's successful piece »Trailer Park« as part of Tanz im August will conclude this extraordinary collaboration.

tanzmainz is the contemporary dance ensemble of the Mainz State Theatre and has been curated and directed by Honne Dohrmann since 2014. tanzmainz sees itself as a place of creation: 25 dancers work collaboratively with a diverse production team to create three to five world premieres per season, for which renowned or up-and-coming guest choreographers are engaged. The ensemble members of tanzmainz are comprehensively trained artists who work closely with the invited choreographers. The working method of tanzmainz is characterised by openness, mutual respect and high motivation. As a bridge between state theatre and the independent scene, tanzmainz strives to constantly expand its repertoire through innovative dance languages and production forms.

Since its founding in 1990, Ensemble Musikfabrik (Landesensemble NRW) has been one of the leading ensembles for contemporary music. In keeping with its name, Ensemble Musikfabrik is particularly committed to commissioning and producing new works. The results of this work, often carried out in close cooperation with the composers, are presented by the Cologne-based international soloist ensemble in numerous concerts in Germany and abroad, at festivals, in its own concert series »Musikfabrik im WDR« and »Montagskonzerte« (often with live broadcasts) and in audio and video productions. WERGO has released the CD series »Edition Musikfabrik« with cover images by Gerhard Richter, which the painter selected for the CDs. In 2014, the ensemble founded its own label, Musikfabrik. Ensemble Musikfabrik is supported by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the city of Cologne, is organised as a registered association, and all essential artistic and business decisions are made by its members.

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