C’mon, you know you love your bike!

9th of May 2012 by Maeshelle

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

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

my bike, photo: maeshelle west-davies

deadline 25 May

must be at least 1MB

one entry per person

send to info@leipzig-zeitgeist.de


Dance, Dance and !mehrtanz……The Lofft’s Tanzoffensive=Great Stuff!

9th of May 2012 by Maeshelle
annette lopez neal, photo: maeshelle west-davies

annette lopez neal, photo: maeshelle west-davies

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

annette lopez neal, photo: maeshelle west-davies

10-11.30 every day this week

a bargain at 7€

March, photo: rob hogeslag

Jelena Kostić's March, photo: rob hogeslag

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.

March, photo rob hogeslagJelena Kostić’s March, photo: rob hogeslag

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.”

jelenakostic.com

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’s Tanz Offensive has People Flocking to Leipzig

5th of May 2012 by Maeshelle

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 Dance Festival at the Lofft 5 May, photo: Maeshelle West-Davies

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!

Click here for the schedule.

up:

Compagnie T.R.A.S.H.

the holycoaster s(hit) circus

Jelena Kostic

Christof Winkler

Jennifer Ocampo Monsalve

daily workshops with Annette Lopez Leal