Tanzquartier Wien

Pinar Ciftci: As an actress and playwright, I move between working with text and experimenting with new ideas, mixing contemporary storytelling with bold theatrical forms. My work is all about reflecting the times we live in, urgent and unfiltered, where society and human connection collide.

Olivia Jaques: I engage with site-specific, feminist artistic framing as a potential for action. I explore how artistic practices and performance methods, especially those outside conventional exhibition or stage settings, can contribute to a critical examination of habits and social structures. I am particularly interested in how these approaches can foster emancipatory action and critical discourse. In recent years, my focus has been on the question of what socially engaged performance can be. Together with Marlies Surtmann, I explore this within the framework of Performatorium. Our work moves between group-based practices and artistic research.

Mami Kawabata: When I was younger, improvisation wasn’t really my thing: I was actually afraid of it. I trained in Japanese modern dance and Japanese folk dance. I also did a little bit of ballet. When I moved to Europe, I studied ballet more seriously, as well as modern dance, tap, acrobatics, hip-hop and jazz. But now I focus more on floor work and improvisation.

Misael T. Romero: My practice is constantly evolving, but lately, I’ve been trying to incorporate different media while also exploring the limits of imagination – if this is even conceivable – and how it shapes reality. I see my work as a series of mental images that challenge my own perception in some way. Using movement, cinematic techniques and practical effects, I allow myself to push my body beyond its conventional limits. I’m particularly interested in the intersection between reality and fiction, exploring how elements of both can coexist and transform our experience of space and our body.

PC: Which training has had the most impact on you this month?

MK: Actually, even though I’m not a ballet person, I really enjoyed Saskia Tindle’s ballet classes. It’s not a typical classical ballet class. She has a more open-minded approach, but still with ballet technique.

MTR: I’ve also been taking morning ballet classes by her. She structures the class as a continuous flow, which helps maintain energy and focus. The group is highly motivated and has a great attitude. It’s a really nice environment to be in. Having both professional and non-professional dancers in the same space is essential for continued skill development. Dance is like a software – there’s always an update. It’s also very inspiring to be in a studio where people are open to exchanging knowledge and experimenting with different ideas. It creates a great atmosphere, and this type of experience will definitely stay with me on my journey.

PC: I love the idea of dance as a software that always updates. Even without a specific stage or scheduled rehearsals, I am always working. This aspect of the profession is often underestimated. We tend to equate a packed schedule with success, but I disagree. An artist who creates one project every five or ten years is just as successful as someone who works every week or month. The invisible work – the thinking, researching and evolving – is the most important part of an artist’s practice.

MK: If it wasn’t for this scholarship, I wouldn’t have taken the body-care training. This was very new for me. Now, I want to do these classes more often, to not always push my body but also take care of it.

PC: I had a similar experience to yours. I absolutely loved Body Rolling by Moravia Naranjo, as well as Tai Ki Kung by Rotraud Kern. The latter was completely new to me, and it opened up a whole new practice that I plan to integrate into my artistic work. Not only will I use it as a philosophy and a tool but I also intend to incorporate elements of its movements into my upcoming choreography.

OJ: The training left its mark on me from week one. I would like to mention Jam Sessions by Laura Pudelek in terms of the grounded silence in the room after the training. Hatha Yoga with Hanna Fatkiieva, thanks to the remarkable and warm-hearted community, and Feldenkrais by Malcolm Manning, which reconnected me with my Feldenkrais roots. All this helped me gain clarity in my intention to work on body and performance practices that foster resilience over the next two years.

PC: Do you have any upcoming projects?

MTR: I’m currently beginning research for Context, a project supported by the Department of Art and Culture in Salzburg. The premiere is set to take place in Salzburg between September and October this year.

MK: I have a project coming up next month, How multi-ing are you?, where I’ll be performing a duet with another dancer, on 28 April at 19.00 at Raw Matters – an organisation for freelance artists to share their works in progress.

PC: What is the piece about?

MK: We are focusing on multitasking. I’m a dancer, but I’m also a mother. For the last few years, I’ve been thinking about how overwhelming it can be to do so many things at the same time, and now we want to explore it physically. We plan to use a lot of props. The movement won’t always come from us directly. We will react to external elements. In this way, we want to explore how we balance our own movement with things happening around us.

PC: I have an upcoming theatre project called Wonderland, an autobiographical contemporary piece that I’ve been writing over the past six years, where I will also incorporate contemporary choreography. There will be an open showcase at Dramatikkens Hus in Oslo on 2 May at 18.00. It will also be shown in Vienna in 2026 as the story unfolds here. Before that, there are three performances of another theatre piece called Hull, which I have co-written with actor and filmmaker Shokat Harjo, and which serves as a continuation of Wonderland. This production had its premiere at Det Norske Teatret in Oslo in 2023 and will now be staged at Nordic Black Theatre in Oslo on 22, 23 and 24 April at 19.30. Both pieces explore the journey of a woman fighting for her identity – both in societal systems and in her personal relationships.

Pinar Ciftci is an actress, writer, producer, journalist and critic, from Oslo, Norway, with Kurdish heritage, working between Oslo and Vienna. Fluent in Norwegian, English, Turkish, German, French, and Kurdish, she holds a BA in Acting and Artistic Production from Nord University, Norway, and has had acting training at William Esper Studio in New York. Ciftci has worked in theatre and film across Norway, Chile, Austria and Greece. She currently stars in the short film I Walked Alone.

Olivia Jaques is a Vienna-based artist, researcher and cultural worker who is also actively involved in teaching. Since 2017, she has been running the Performatorium alongside Marlies Surtmann, focusing on the concept of socially engaged performances. Additionally, she is involved with Mz*Baltazar’s Laboratory and contributes to the Swiss Foundation for Art in Conflict Regions.

Mami Kawabata was born in Toyama, Japan, where she began her dance training at the Kasai Dancing Company. She later studied at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and went on to perform with Jalegado Dance Company and Dance2xs Prague. In 2012, she joined the wee dance company at Gerhart-Hauptmann-Theater Görlitz in Germany, where she danced for 12 years. Since 2023, she has been based in Vienna, performing at the Wiener Staatsoper. Her first choreographic work in Vienna will premiere on 28 April as part of the Raw Matter programme.

Misael T. Romero is a performer, choreographer and researcher specialising in movement-based arts, working between Salzburg, Vienna and Mexico City. He holds a degree from SEAD Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance and has trained in classical and contemporary dance at ENDCC CENART in Mexico. With eight years as a member of Mexico’s men’s Olympic gymnastics team, Romero seamlessly blends physical precision, acrobatics and cinematic elements in his choreographic practice.