Luca Ponti and Paul Hess, you are the chairpersons of the dance professional group in the German Stage Artists' Cooperative (Genossenschaft deutscher Bühnenangehöriger) and, of course, have a corresponding background. You, Mr. Ponti, are a former dancer at the Krefeld-Mönchengladbach Theatre and are now a stage manager. You, Mr. Hess, were permanently employed at the Trier Theatre. How did your union involvement come about?
Luca Ponti: I didn't know anything about unions at first. When I arrived in 2011, I immersed myself in dance. At the time, I only had a guest contract and had to supplement my income. That was tough. Then the "Dancersconnect" network was founded, and in that context, advocacy became an issue—Paul and I met and made a great team.
You are originally from Catania in ...
