»tell me a better story 2« is the second part of a series of solo/ duet pieces that were developed for the ensemble during the period of isolation and pandemic. faced with uncertainty and desperation, looking at an inexistent future, we experienced each day anew. we gave each other this »valuable time«, and surrendered to a development process that grabbed us unexpectedly, and simply took us away. enriching like a blessing, in retrospect.

the charisma of every dancer and their personality has always been characteristic of our work. their individual strengths will be unveiled in six solos and a duet, reflecting the personalities of our ensemble, whose character and aura are always present on the stage, and imprint the work of the cie. toula limnaios.

making of

»It’s a very challenging time for all of us. we couldn’t just stick our heads in the sand and be trapped by the fear and insecurity during the pandemic lockdown. we had to act, and saw the situation as an opportunity to offensively and energetically look for new ways, to convert the fear into a positive feeling. we have changed our way of working and switched to individual rehearsals. since then, we have been working on various performance formats, taking all hygiene measures into account. for me, dance remains the central element. that means working with the dancers, creating, confronting and dealing with each other – everything that makes us human. – ›arts vivants‹ – in astonishment, keep on working on what touches and transforms us in these difficult moments.« toula limnaios

a cie. toula limnaios production supported by the city of berlin, department for culture and europe.

concept/choreography

toula limnaios

music

ralf r. ollertz, paul tinsley

dance/creation

daniel afonso, leonardo d’aquino, francesca bedin, alba de miguel

technical director/lightdesign

felix grimm

touring cooperations

marie schmieder

space/costumes

antonia, limnaios, toula limnaios

choreographic assistance

ute pliestermann

lighting & stage technics

domenik engemann, jan römer

reviews

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»her current production turns the ongoing limitations of physical contact into a creative medium. regarding the artistic expression, both parts of “tell me a better story” are by no means a compromise or a capitulation to the contact restrictions of the pandemic. the emotionally and physically very expressive dance of limnaios lives not only from moving group dynamics. the single encounters of the individuals with the depths of their psyche were always just as important. when the dancers in “tell me a better story” stand on stage in their loneliness or togetherness, the space expands in which they can drive their emotional and physical expressions to extremes of beauty or irritation. …
the pieces by limnaios are intimate recordings that lead suffering and the lust for life into the absurd in order to transform this absurd into a beauty full of melancholy. … the pandemic has its chances when it comes to new food for the human soul. to be able to experience so many accents of the dance language of limnaios in the light of new challenges is definitely one of them.«
seda niğbolu, tanzraumberlin.de

»after months of interruption, dance comes back to life on stages and in theatres. the cie. toula limnaios made a splendid return.
– ladylike: The protagonist of the first solo alba de miguel … delivered a great performance!
– my favorite body: daniel afonso’s dance and his heartfelt interpretation are intense and recognizable.
– fra: francesca bedin, a new member of the company. … a very successful debut.
– ich bin zwei: an extraordinary leonardo d’aquino closes the evening. he engages the audience …«
nicola campanelli, campadidanza.it

»while the first half refers to the inside view, the second part aims at the society. in these solos, role models are negotiated precisely on the presumed boundary between the sexes. the possibilities beyond the binary drawers are being explored. this made the second half of the individual choreographies created during the lockdown more puzzling and challenging, but also more political.«
hamburgtheater.de, birgit schmalmack