Arnes Durchblick #37 from December 15, 2021: TANK - a blind blogger reports on the dance performance in simple language

Today I am reporting in simple language about a dance performance. I use 444 words for this. Almost three times as many as usual. I usually use 160 words.

It's bright on the TanzFaktur stage. A naked woman dances in a Plexiglas tank. Here is a link with information about the dance piece "TANK". The tank looks like a giant test tube.

There is audio description for visually impaired viewers. I can barely hear them with the headphones. I don't understand what the movements mean for sighted people. Manfred later explains to me what he saw. He says that the dancer is very good.

The choreographer and dancer is called Doris Uhlich. She dances passionately. She moves her hips mechanically at times. Some people think of sex. After that she lies on the ground and moves her feet in the air.

Electronic music is rhythmic and monotonous. She looks cold. There are no melodies. In between we hear English texts. One question is: What would the world be like without sweat and without the stench of sweat?

It's getting dark. Doris Uhlich touches the Plexiglas with her upper body. When she touches the plexiglass, it glows. The spots of light look like spots on a cow or like faces. Manfred even sees a little bird.

I was late for the show. I don't understand what the piece has to do with technology and the climate crisis. That was in the description. I didn't know what is in the pictures.

I think of pregnant women. Some are afraid of having and raising a child. Maybe they didn't want the kid. Maybe they think: I am a test tube. And in it a child is born. And when the child is born, I give milk like a cow. Maybe I have to be a machine to make the kid thrive.

The dance piece is completely sold out. Most viewers are enthusiastic. I do not feel well. The performance depresses me. I can't stand the images of overwhelmed mothers in my head. That's why I'm leaving the show. This happened to me for the first time.

Anna is the artistic director of Sommerblut. She says: It's not about mothers. It is as advertised. Here is a link to Doris Uhlich's CV.

So people think very differently about the same dance piece. Everyone sees a different story. Some artists want to surprise their viewers. Maybe then some will get scared, or they will get sick. But you can't reveal everything in advance. Otherwise you stop watching the performances.

I want to know: people with different diseases want to be there. So how do you advertise a dance piece? How do you prepare them without revealing everything?