I bet you have more pics of your bike on your phone than you do of your significant other! Well, it’s time to show her off!
my bike maus, photo: maeshelle west-davies
Leipzig Zeitgeist is having a photo contest…………..of bikes. It doesn’t actually have to be your bike, just your picture of a bike. The winner will feature in an upcoming issue and all the runners up will be compiled into a video on you tube and the LZ blog. So get out there and enjoy the weather and shoot some bikes. I’m sure there could be ample opportunity tomorrow seeing as how it’s man’s day and all.
my bike, photo: maeshelle west-davies
deadline 25 May
must be at least 1MB
one entry per person
send to info@leipzig-zeitgeist.de
I remember talking to a former ballerina and dance teacher after a performance of a modern dance piece. Her criticism? Improper technique. For some contemorary dance that’s a hard one because many times you are trying not to look as though you are performing, but rather being and doing. That doesn’t mean you don’t need help in learning about your body and where the energy comes from. Yesterday I got to watch a workshop where Annette Lopez Neal worked with dancers to improve their technique by understanding the moments and the sensations that should go with them. She’s here all week as part of the workshop series from !mehrtanz and connected to the Lofft’s Tanzoffensive.

annette lopez neal, photo: maeshelle west-davies
a bargain at 7€
TONIGHT’ TANZOFFENSIVE brings us the German premiere of March from serbian born Jelena Kostić. She is the artistic director and choreographer at Kostić, Foundation for Contemporary Art situated in Tilburg, Holland.
“With themes like collective political protest, being an alien in unfamiliar surroundings and gender/sex, Jelena Kostić creates art that means to make her international audience reconsider life itself. Her choreographies do not as much focus on dance aesthetics, the perfect physique or sublime technical skills. The performers are rather like cinematic characters, adapting to their role similar to actors. They limp, move about clumsily and are far from perfect. Their dance is sometimes brutal and confronting, then light and hilarious.
Cooperating with a small group of dancers, film makers and other creative professionals, Jelena Kostić keeps working meticulously on her own dance vocabulary, which blends surprisingly easy with the theatrical components and the social subjects that are so typical for her work.
As a director Kostić aims for a complete theatrical experience that dissolves the borders between drama, choreography, vocals and music. The contrast of sobriety and laughter is an important aspect of the performances: irony and other humoristic techniques are used as a balance for personal and social engagement as well as philosophical and moral values.
A significant issue for Jelena Kostić is to explore new narrative directions within the realm of dance. The first performances already showed a particular use of anecdotic theatrical elements but since then she has been searching the limits to stretch the concept of storytelling. This results in a less literal approach: it has become a technique that she can fade in and out to suggest the presence of a story, rather than to give it away. This surreal effect is enhanced by involving other disciplines like film, visual arts and originally composed music as a major influence; all with the intention to move the spectator between a sense of comfortable reality and the alienation of abstraction.”
This is definately a must see. But if you can’t come tonight, you’re in luck because it will be performed again on Thur.
shows start at 8.00
16€/10€
The Lofft is arguably the best place in town for cutting edge dance. Today marks the beginning of their contemporary dance festival, Tanz offensive.

Tanz Offensive 5-12 May, photo: Maeshelle West-Davies
The festival will consist of 5 German and International productions along with films at Augustus Platz, workshops, talks and even a festival lounge (with a BBQ). Wow!
up:
daily workshops with Annette Lopez Leal