Words on the Wall with Nejla Yatkin June 19, 2009

To mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, internationally recognized choreographer Nejla Yatkin is working on a new group piece entitled Dancing with the Berlin Wall, a three-part work culminating in a site-specific performance incorporating both the Goethe-Institut’s downtown gallery space, Ludlow 38, and the Goethe-Institut Wyoming Building.
Ms. Yatkin, a Berlin native with Turkish roots, grew up with The Wall. While for most of the world it was a striking symbol, for her it was a daily reality, and its existence and fall became personal landmarks. She is therefore using this piece as a means of reflecting on her own experience, but also as a broader reflection on boundaries and openness, constriction and freedom.
As part of this reflection, she also hopes to break down as much as possible the wall between audience and performer, and toward this end will be conducting monthly discussion groups on The Wall and our experience of it at the Goethe-Institut Wyoming Building. These will be free-ranging discussions on how The Wall has affected all of us, and about how the lines between the personal and the historic can often blur. Please join us for an interesting discussion, share your own Wall story, and make an important contribution to Ms. Yatkin’s newest work
Other dates for these discussions are: 7/31; 8/21; 9/25; and 10/30.
For more information on the project and on Ms. Yatkin visit www.berlinwallproject.com and www.ny2dance.com