Choreography and performance: Jolie Ngemi / Playwright: Jeremy Nedd / Set design: Laura Knüsel / Lighting design and stage management: Alain Caron / Production, administration and distribution: Moin Moin Production – Caroline Froelich et Le Voisin, Anna Ladeira
Jolie Ngemi
NKISI
- Performance
- Dance
approx. 50 mins.
Animist beliefs are still widely held in the Congo, but their expression is only a taboo, hidden or even cursed shadow. “Nkisi” is a word in Lingala, the mother tongue of Jolie Ngemi. It can commonly mean “remedy”, “witchcraft”, “medicine”, or designate a sacred fetish. As a large part of the population lives in poverty, any success is questioned. It is said that the person who succeeds must have touched the Nkisi, used witchcraft and called upon mystical spirits. Before the colonization such women were also called Nkisi, who were asked by the kings to carry out magic rituals to prevent misfortunes. The dancer, choreographer and musician Jolie Ngemi places traditional Nkisi knowledge at the centre of her solo performance and rekindles the flame of its healing power. Nkisi aims to transport the audience into a world of female superhero powers. A journey in which one abandons oneself totally as in a daydream where the physical and psychic worlds collide. What has remained of these practices? Can they once again be ascribed power in today's crisis-ridden world? And who could these powerful Nkisi women be today, these mediators of occult powers who were once the secret advisors of kings?
Cast
Dates
Past
Credits
Production: Cie AUC. Co-production: HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Arsenic - Centre d'art scénique contemporain, Kaserne Basel, STUK - Arts Center vzw, Charleroi-Danse - Centre chorégraphique de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles. Supported by: City of Lausanne, Loterie Romande, Canton Basel-Landschaft, Ernst Göhner Foundation, Pro Helvetia - support for research trips.
Location
HAU3
Tempelhofer Ufer 10, 10963 BerlinHAU3 unfortunately is not barrier-free. Access to the theatre is via a stairwell (3rd floor). The use of a lift is possible with prior arrangement. If you need help, please contact our Ticketing & Service team at +49 (0)30 259004-27 or email us at tickets@hebbel-am-ufer.de. Wheelchair users are also kindly requested to register their attendance at least one day before the performance.
Thank you for your understanding.
