Marie-Lena Kaiser
- Fellow 2018
- Choreographer and performer, based in Essen
- Cooperating partner: Horacio Macuacua, Mozambique/ Spain
Marie-Lena Kaiser is a choreographer and performer, based in Essen, Germany. She graduated her dance studies at Folkwang University in 2016. During her studies she developed already her own choreographies, which she presented in places like Tanzhaus NRW, Tanzfaktur Köln and Zeche1 Bochum as well in different festivals. The language she is still developing is shaped by the folkwang-tradition/dance and characterised by the critical and ludic approach in using this knowlegde. In July 2017 she was completing a two week residence in the choreographical center Pact Zollverein called “Choreographische Dialoge” mentored by the dance scientist Franz Anton Cramer.
Marie-Lena Kaiser has shown interest in dance across a variety of different cultures. She has, for instance, travelled to Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mosambique and South Africa for exchanges of performing arts.With the company Performing Group she is touring as a performer to different countrys like China, Rumania and Litauen with their production 'TRASHedy'. Right now she is planing and researching for her first full-lenghts production “Ariodante”. It will be a piece for four dancers and premieres in November 2018 in Maschinenhaus, Essen.
Marie-Lena's reports
„In a first impression you can understand that Kaiser’s work is pushing it’s own boundaries of experience and intensity. She displays a bold and unusual choice, developing the selected idea in depth, in a refined mix of ludic and dramatic expressions, using minimalism as well as an explosive energy. We feel there is strong potential in her partnership with cooperating partner Macuacua, with whom she already started a very stimulating dialogue. Both artists have a strong sense of musicality developed in unconventional ways, as well as a powerful physicality, though from very different aesthetics and formal structures. Macuacua’s mentorship and the environment he will offer, will certainly open new windows of exploration in terms of dynamics, approach and content of movement, subtlety in constructing and staging material, lightness and a certain ludic approach.“
- Jury-Statement