Mehringplatz in Berlin-Kreuzberg is perfectly circular, lined by aging apartment buildings that house around 10,000 people—not far from the three venues of HAU Hebbel am Ufer. When the Berlin bleibt! Festival took place for the fifth time in late June—under the motto "Neighborhoods in Motion"— it seemed natural to shake things up in the Mehringplatz neighborhood. On a hot Friday evening, the many trees provide welcome shade, and the audience gathers by the low wall framing the large green space. And then, a fair amount of dust is kicked up: around 90 people dance across the square—20 of them self-taught professionals, plus some 70 movement-loving Berliners brought on board through workshops.
Reviews
Berlin
Saïdo Lehlou
Apaches
Apaches by Saïdo Lehlou; photo: Dorothea Tuch
Apaches by Saïdo Lehlou; photo: Dorothea Tuch
Apaches by Saïdo Lehlou; photo: Dorothea Tuch
Apaches by Saïdo Lehlou; photo: Dorothea Tuch
Apaches by Saïdo Lehlou; photo: Dorothea Tuch
Apaches by Saïdo Lehlou; photo: Dorothea Tuch
Apaches by Saïdo Lehlou; photo and background: Dorothea Tuch
From all directions, the dancers stream onto the lawn, in ever-changing constellations soloists peel away from the group; circles are drawn, and small groups swarm out like satellites. Hip-hop, breaking, waacking, krumping—various urban styles dominate the movement vocabulary, interspersed with improvisations moving through a viscous atmosphere. Clear messages emerge at two points: open hands are extended—an almost sacred climax, yet one that does not mark the end. And a professional who becomes the antagonist—or rather, the catalyst—for a herd of nearly 90 people. "The revolution will not be televised" blares from the speakers; quotes from Gil Scott-Heron’s poem of the same name run through the dance-based intervention. Perhaps Saïdo Lehlou’s Apaches—staged in various locations since 2018—is one piece of the revolutionary puzzle.