Donya Ahmadifar (Stuttgart)

Picture shows Donya Ahmadifar
Foto: Phi Dang
Picture shows Donya Ahmadifar
Foto: Phi Dang

Biography:

Donya Ahmadifar, Jens Kuhlmann, Nam Nguyen The, Lydia Tesfai, Virginia Breitenbaumer and Chiara Fiori are a collective of various urban dancers who pursue the goal of bringing urban dance to the theater stage in a new context. Each member embodies a very individual style and enriches the collective not only as dancers, but also culturally. They represent a variety of dance styles, including Hip Hop, House, Breaking, Popping and Afro.

Freischwimmen project:

Our piece is about breathing – but what does breathing do to our body? Breathing is a natural task of the body and functions passively for the most part. But what happens when breathing stops? How quickly do we switch into survival mode? What happens to us when we actively breathe? The idea is to create a piece and simultaneously promote the connection between street art and stage art.

Statement:

It was thanks to the support of the FREISCHWIMMEN network that we came together to form a collective. This enabled us to bring our first group dance performance to the stage without being forced to compromise anything, and to present street culture with authenticity. It wasn’t just during the production phase that we received generous support and assistance, but also during residencies and labs where we had the opportunity to get to know other artists. FREISCHWIMMEN was a crucial milestone in our artistic careers. Not only did we get to know the theater world better, we were also able to find our own place within it.

Weblinks:

Performances:

Invitations and residencies:

Residences

2023 Schwankhalle, Bremen

Freischwimmen is currently supported by the network funding of the Fonds Darstellende Künste.

Freischwimmen was funded in 2020-23 by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media via the "Promoting Connections" program of the Bundesverband Freie Darstellende Künste e.V.

Freischwimmen was also supported by Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council.