Camera obscura

In the organizer's words:

Born in Leverkusen, Philippe Kratz was for many years an outstanding soloist with the Italian showpiece company Aterballetto. Within a very short space of time, he has succeeded in making a name for himself internationally as a choreographer. He has already created the short piece Unfolding in Mainz, providing a successful sample of his skills. He has developed the new full-length creation Camera obscura together with 14 dancers from the tanzmainz ensemble.

A camera obscura is a dark room with a narrow hole in the wall. An upside-down image is created on the back wall as a projection of the outside space. Aristotle already described this principle in the 4th century BC and it has inspired numerous artists ever since. Philippe Kratz believes that "light gives us the ability to perceive others and thus ourselves" and questions our human consciousness in his new piece. What is real? What is projection? In his elegant choreography, he plays with reflection, distortion and surprising perspectives. Camera obscura is a wonderful challenge for the tanzmainz ensemble in a virtuoso play with light and space that is demanding in terms of dance.