caner teker

With the performance “east of what?”, caner teker honours “köçekler”, young, androgynous dancers in the Ottoman Empire of the 18th century, who were also known as sex workers. From a Turkish-German perspective, 'east of what?' examines their stories as queer subjects, how they presented themselves and how they were seen. The piece interweaves sensual movement vocabulary and thus challenges sexualising and orientalising gazes. The vibration of the shimmy, a basic movement of West Asian dances, creates a continuous variation that unfolds among the audience in the space. The interplay with Nazanin Noori's ambient hardcore music creates a sensory concert that draws the audience in as witnesses. In this proximity, the piece is dedicated to affinities beyond fixed identities and seeks alternate approaches to practices of memory.