Our heritage

A German-Dutch community dance project on remembrance culture of World War II
2020/21

Our heritage is a community dance project for German teenagers and Dutch elderlies. The contweedancecollective will develop together with the trans-generational group during a period of 5 months a dance-film which will be presented in both cities: Arnhem and Bamberg.

Our heritage is looking from different perspectives on memories and effects of the National Socialism. Borders between historical interpretation, between countries, between old and young and mutual attributions are crossed. It offers the participants a framework to deal with their history in an active, fresh, artistic and (inter-)human way, fostering our collective commemorative culture.

Contemporary dance lays the foundation for the group process of exploring themselves and the own history. The focus of the artistic work is on the body as a store of memories, as a bearer of one's own identity, as a malleable means of expression and on the dialogue between the generations about today and yesterday.

Due to Covid-19, the two groups might not get the chance to visit each other in the physical space as it was initially planned. The exchange will therefore mostly happen through digital media, film and letters.

The final presentations in 2021 aim to be an analogue exposition with live interventions and an open after-talk with the audience. As nobody knows yet, we will stay creative and flexible.

Chapter 1:
Body of Remembrance

For the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of National Socialism, 27th January

Chapter 2:
Hands of Remembrance

For the 76.anniversary of the end of World War II, marked in both countries by
celebrating the Liberation of National Socialism

Dutch Liberation Day- 5th May
German Liberation Day- 8th May

Chapter 3:
Places of Remembrance

on the 12 of June
During the UNESCO World Heritage Day under the theme “Solidarity and Dialogue” we were invited to share another chapter of this project.

Infront of the beautiful old building of the former synagoge | Judenstraße 1 we introduced the exhibition to “Places of Remembrance” with a short performance. Afterwards, doors were open and all historical places that were chosen for the realisation of the short movie were presented alongside Chapter 1 and Chapter 2.

Chapter 4:
Moments of Remembrance

3 / 4 of July in Bamberg

Chapter 4 is the process presentation at KUFA Kulturfabrik with various stations designed to provide a deeper insight into the project. Live performance of the teenagers was combined with a photo exhibition as well as video installations and small audience invitations for active participation and reflections around our “Moments of Remembrance”.

Chapter 5:
Dances of Remembrance

18 September | annual Airborne Memorial Day

The project will be presented for the first time in the Netherlands. In this sense, we are heading for a double premiere, so to speak, as we are proud to also celebrate the premiere of our short film. The day will be filled with a lecture by author Yoeke Nagel from her book “Searching- For my mother’s mother who disapeared in the Dutch Resistance” , a live performance by the intergenerational group, the exposition and video installations as well as the premiere of the film.
Tickets via: Akoesticum Ede Wageningen