Happy to Listen

The conversation “Krump: Dancing Towards Togetherness” introduces the world of Krumping, its socio-political facets and potentials to contribute to the decolonisation of dance in Germany and Europe through its power of togetherness, emotionality and self-authorship. Grichka Caruge is the choreographer of “A Human Race: The Rite of Krump”, produced by Tanzkomplizen, which is an attempt to open the stage to new and relatively young forms of urban and community dance, while expanding and transforming the Krump language itself towards a choreographed piece. With Dicko, the conversation also navigates towards the effect of Krumping on personal growth and psychological empowerment, which also brings us to the aspect of dance for youth and how to use dance for diverse and accessible socio-cultural practices. The conversation is hosted by Nora Amin who attempts to interweave the critical discourse of the decolonisation of dance with the various aspects of understanding the history of Krump and its potential.

For more information on Krump please visit:

“Making Peace” – Essay on Krump by Nora Amin (in English)
“Schöpferische Kraft” – Article by Lucia Matzke at tanzraumberlin.de
Dossier with background for the production “A Human Race” (PDF)
Accompanying material to the performance “A Human Race” (PDF)

Grichka Caruge co-founded RAF CREW in 2007, where he won the HIP HOP World Championships in 2009. He co-choreographed “RAF city’z” (2010) and founded in 2009 the collective “Madrootz“, which brings together many French pioneers of the Krump movement but also international leaders. Since 2013 he has been artistic director of the International Illest Battle, an international Krump meeting. In 2017, he co-choreographed the short film Les Indes Galantes, by Clément Cogitore.

Dicko-Andrea Din participated in multiple battles and competitions like Buckyard (Prague), EBS (Düsseldorf), 1st of May Battle (Berlin). She teaches Hip Hop & Krump to children/teenagers and adults, working in projects like Urban Feminism (Tanz im August), as well as working in projects with Flying Steps Entertainment, including an appearance in the movie “Into The Beat”. She is a founding member of the All-female dance collective Walashé (based in Berlin). Since 2019 she is part of the Aura Fam (Germany, France, Indonesia).

Nora Amin is a performer, author, choreographer & theatre director. Founder of the Egyptian nation-wide Project for Theatre of the Oppressed and its Arab network, founder of Lamusica independent Theatre group where she directed and produced 40 productions of dance, theatre and music. Based in Berlin since 2015. Currently member of the steering committee of the Dance Mediation Centre (TVZ), and a board member of the German Centre of the International Theatre Institute. Author of “Migrating the Feminine” and “Dance of the Persecuted” (MSB Matthes & Seitz).

In the form of a dialogue, Chiara Bersani and Mara Pieri reflect on the manifold ways disability and illness intersect with contemporary thinking. Bringing together artistic and academic perspectives, they question the ways disability is represented, what expectations are constructed around people with disability and, ultimately, what it means to be a disabled performer in the (post) pandemic scenario.

Chiara Bersani is an Italian artist exploring the politics of the body and how the images we create interact with society. As an activist Bersani works on the inclusivity of disabled artists in the performing arts scene. Since 2009 she has created multiple highly acclaimed performance and installation works, among which her “Political Body Series” started in 2013, “The Olympic Games”, co-produced by K3 Kampnagel and the European project BeSpectACTive! in 2017 and her solo “Gentle Unicorn”, selected for Aerowaves 2019. Among her long-term and regular collaborators are Marco D’Agostin, Matteo Ramponi, Babilonia Teatri, Alessandro Sciarroni and the cultural association Corpoceleste_C.C.00#. Other major collaborators include the Madrid-based company La Tristura, choreographer Jérôme Bel and director and playwright Rodrigo Garcia.

Mara Pieri is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Coimbra (Portugal). She works on disability and queerness through an intersectional lens that brings together disabilities studies, queer theory and crip studies. She is the creator of the project "Chroniqueers", which narrates experiences of LGBTQ+ people with chronic illness.