Battersea Arts Centre will host the UK premiere of TANZ this autumn, inviting choreographer Florentina Holzinger to debut this extraordinary work.
Following lengthy runs in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, the UK finally has the opportunity to experience TANZ’s international cast of diverse and fearless women perform spectacular, high-octane acrobatics infused with martial arts and more, against the dramatic backdrop of BAC’s Grand Hall.
With an all-female cast, ranging between the ages of twenty and eighty from a variety of dance and performance backgrounds, TANZ subverts the standards of beauty, risk and discipline expected of the female body. Inspiration is drawn from a variety of sources including motorcycle rallies, cabaret, circus and 19th century romantic ballet La Sylphide.
Initially using the framing of a ballet class guided by a mature, radical and formidable performer, the performers undergo rigorous training in “action ballet”. In a parody of contemporary, classical and popular culture, they take part in increasingly sensational joint rituals. Defying suffocating notions of femininity, they learn to master their bodies and minds, using heightened skills to penetrate space, gain knowledge and fly.
Florentina Holzinger has resisted generic descriptions while smashing gender clichés across the world with her provocative style of work since her debut in 2011, dissecting traditional dance and theatre narratives with a generous helping of pop-culture references and a penchant for gore. Winning Best Director at Austria’s renowned NESTROY Theatre Awards (2020), TANZ completes Holzinger’s trilogy about the representation and full potential of female physicality.
TANZ is at Battersea Arts Centre 1st – 3rd November 2022
