swallow me. Josephine Haas

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swallow me is a physical theater choreography exploring nature’s resilience in relation to human’s resilience; as nature destruct to reconstruct, humans can deconstruct preconceived stories/ trauma in the body and rewrite them with empowering narratives. Through the act of allowing the stories of the body to “swallow us” like the waves in the sea, we release what we no longer need from the narratives, hold onto the power, and rise resiliently wild.

My name is Josephine Haas and in my project over the course of 9 months I worked on expanding a solo work: swallow me. The work allowed me to research resilience physically and mentally and assisted me in growing as an artist, dancer, and human being. 

I researched the storied body through exploring nature’s resilience in relation to human’s resilience. Through the metaphor of the ocean, I explored the idea of waves of emotions and memories coming through the body and our willingness to resist to them. 

The stories were generated through improvisations. It took me time to shape what my body was telling me. At first the stories came out of me in a very abstract way, and it was in the investigation of the qualities in my body that I was able to unravel stories and memories.  

The work took turns as I continued the creative process – and it became more autobiographical than I had intended it to be. I am grateful to have taken the vulnerable route of sharing my history in an artistic way as it opened doors for people to relate and see themselves through my work. The process was challenging at times, but as confronting as it was to put myself in my own work, it allowed me to relive the stories through movement and rewrite the physical sensations in my own body.  As I finished the piece and started performing it, I began embodying a new story of boldness as I bravely traveled through my own autobiography. This constant revisiting of these stories in my body fostered a sense of resilience in- and outside of the studio. I found myself thriving in all areas of my life. Having the time to thoroughly ask questions and conduct research brought a deep sense of listening to all areas of my life.

Here you can find a review that was written about the work after the premiere September 26th and 27th.

Artistic direction, Choreography, Performance, Text: Josephine Haas 
Dramaturgical Advice: Judith Sánchez Ruíz
Residency Support: Theaterhaus Mitte
Production and Press: Apricot Productions

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