The ResearchLab consists of up to four residencies per year. It is aimed at supporting dance by nurturing emerging choreographers to realize their ideas from concept to live performance.
ResearchLab promotes innovative ideas, encourages artistic risk-taking, and aims to enrich the creative imagination within the dance scene. By offering optimal conditions for dance artists and dialogue with the audience in open rehearsals, ROXY's ResearchLab aims to create greater awareness of the limitless possibilities of dance and its ability to connect and inspire people.
Dance projects with up to five dancers can apply for each ResearchLab. The selected artists will receive a production budget from ROXY, rehearsal opportunities for approximately three weeks, as well as a living allowance, travel expenses, and on-site housing. ROXY also provides equipment for video recording of the work. The results of the ResearchLab will be performed publicly in the ROXY's program in the Studio.
Residence: 05.03.-22.03.2021
The dancers Adaya Berkovich and Woosang Jeon stand on stage without an audience and try to understand if what they say is heard - or if the meaning of what they mean is missed. A short furious dance film in a single take! (duration 10 minutes)
Filmed in March 2021 at the ROXY Ulm
Jasmine Ellis is a Canadian choreographer and film director based in Munich. A graduate of the "Etobicoke School of the Arts", the "School of Toronto Dance Theatre" and the "Codarts Rotterdam Conservatory", she has been working professionally in dance as a performer and choreographer since 2006. Jasmine Ellis is also an award-winning film director and artistic director of the production company "Bad Posture Productions". She has choreographed in Berlin, Florence, Groningen, Montreal, Munich, Tilbury, Toronto and Winnipeg, among other cities.
A production of Jasmine Ellis Projects // Bad Posture Productions // TanzLabor Ulm
Residence: 24.05.—12.06.2021
FAUNA FUTURA - Live dance performance by Yotam Peled & The Free Radicals
"We may have forgotten the wilderness. We have moved far away from it, from our innermost selves, but nature has not abandoned us. Those who leave the layers of noise behind can feel the undercurrents, can see the beacon, can hear the call."
"Fauna Futura" shows the journey of five dancers inside their bodies and the body of the land that asks them to forget, to surrender, to grow. As roots and branches, they travel together, expanding and climbing in different directions, to merge by osmosis with the landscape into a new entity - the animal of the future. (Duration: approx. 35 minutes)
Production: Yotam Peled & The Free Radicals
Funded by Fonds Darstellende Künste with funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and supported by TanzLabor Ulm.
Residence: 15.09. - 05.10.2021
REVA
REVA, from Hindi: "to gather strength", "rain", asks the question: What if you woke up tomorrow and had nothing left of what we often take for granted in everyday life? Nowadays, we are often so conditioned by our interpretation of the past and our expectations of the future that we live in a constant survival mode, desperately trying to find meaning and purpose for our limited lives. If you suddenly found yourself naked with nothing to lose, you would probably instead join the universal dance of life and the unconditional love of the present moment. It's like getting caught in the rain: either you try in vain to run away from it and not get wet, or you stop and consciously choose to feel the rain and thus connect with the universe.
Residence: The ResearchLab #4 couldn't take place due to Corona and unfortunately the piece couldn't be realized in the TanzLabor.
Bird is a new project that combines choreography with natural and social sciences, questioning the way we live and perceive our environment.
The idea was born from the study of the behavior of animals, especially birds, and the correspondences in human behavior. The emotional sphere, languages, relationships between peers, the ability to build and decorate nests, and love rituals, among others, are the starting points of the choreographic research.
The aim is to increase the awareness of the relationship with others through the instinctive and expressive human character and through the evocative abilities of the human body.
In the creative process of the KOR'SIA collective, music is the essential element of the choreographic composition. In this case, the sound space is designed to captivate the viewer, mixing classical, electronic and environmental music to appeal to different emotional sensations.
Residence: 09.05. - 17.06.2022
What would have happened if Adam and Eve had been different people?
EDEN is a multidisciplinary movement piece that combines dance, music, voice work and poetry with a strong physical and visual approach.
The work deals with the always relevant questions of freedom and humanity, but also with the fantasy of another beginning, not as a new beginning, but conceived as a hypothesis about other possibilities and choices.
According to the Swiss philosopher Emil Angehrn, the beginning can be experienced in three different ways:
As the opening of a free space.
As the release of possibilities.
As the installation of a ruling power.
EDEN is an intellectual experiment that discusses the heterogeneity of the raised questions and reflects the tension that is inherent in reference to the origin as a whole - which can be experienced and grasped by means of bodies in space and thus collectively shared and carried forward.
Concept and choreography: Julia Maria Koch
Dance and creation: Romane Petit, Camille Jackson, Yadira Rodríguez, Erick Odriozola, Fabio Calvisi
Music/ Composition: Konstantin Heuer, Thorolf Thuestad
Co-composition, performance, voice and text work: Alwynne Pritchard
Lighting design: Torsten Lippstock
Costume: Julia Maria Koch with design work and friendly support of Studio DRKRM and daijanala, Berlin
Tailor: Ibrahim Biawa
EDEN was created as part of the TanzLabor ResearchLab and is a joint co-production with E-Werk and Tanz-Netz Freiburg. The premiere was performed at the Ulm Moves! Dance Festival.
Special thanks to Bine Eberhardt.
"The TANZLABOR is an absolutely fantastic and unique research and co-production opportunity and platform for dance makers. I couldn't have felt more supported in this highly professional, very cordial and artistically sensitive environment created by Pablo Sansalvador and his team."
Julia Maria Koch
Residence: 28.11. - 15.12.2022
The piece was premiered on 02.02.2023 at the E-WERK Freiburg.
Inspired by the widows balcones (balcones de viudas) in the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires/Argentina, the dancer and choreographer Nadine Gerspacher from Freiburg places her new piece "Das innere Beben" in a protected space, a house. The guardian of this widow's house is "Madame". She watches over the haven of freedom and the radical openness lived in it. With her address, she turns the audience into confidants and exhorts sympathy and respect.
By means of a ritual, Madame brings the group of widows - five frail, stooped figures - to life. Beginning with a slight shiver, the excitement of the women increases to a violent tremor. Pent-up emotions break free and take possession of the bodies. Hysterically, the five dancers writhe and shake with distorted faces, tears flow, screams pervade the room. Like a tsunami, the powerful quake sweeps away the "natural order". Joy and relief spread through the exhausted group. The valley of tears seems to be overcome, a new life begins. In her usual manner, Cia. Nadine Gerspacher stages a dance theater characterized by powerful dance and acrobatic, which celebrates the liberation of feelings with tragic-comic elements and sets a counterpoint to social repression.
Artistic direction | Choreography: Nadine Gerspacher
Choreographic assistance: Ombline Huvelle
Dance: Raphaëlle Sablic, Andréa Vibert, Camille Lejeune, Hedvig Edvall Bons, Armande Sanseverino, Hanna May Porlon, Genaro Cibils Alberti
Dramaturgy: Anna Castells
Stage | Costume: Cia. Nadine Gerspacher, Akimbo.Future
Music: Josep Maria Baldomá
Light: Oli Lorenz
Production Management: Anna Sagrera | Big Story Productions
Management | Production: Nicolas Ricchini | Big Story Productions
Support: Jasminka Wrobel
Photo: David Kalwar
It was a lovely experience to create at ROXY. The possibility of making the space ours during these three weeks was such a pleasure. Long days of intense creating and catching limits were priceless. Also having the open rehearsal where we could share our process with the public was a beautiful thing.
Nadine Gerspacher
Residence: 12.12. - 16.12.2022
The piece premiered as part of #ShowMeYourMoves at ROXY on Dec. 17, 2022.
Nothing is permanent in that sense. And to… to my mind, that’s freeing. It frees us from this focus on the permanent as the place where value ultimately resides, to a focus on the brief moment that we have, in which we can understand things, and create beauty, and experience wonder, regardless of how fleeting that experience may be.
Choreography: Jungwoon Jung (KOR)
Dance: Jungwoon Jung; TaeJun Yoon
Music producer: PADOBADA
Photo: David Kalwar
Residence: 20.02. - 28.02.2023 + 29.05. - 03.06.2023
The extended piece premiered as part of #ShowMeYourMoves at ROXY on June 03., 2023.
AMAE questions and explores the boundaries between care and obsession, love and pain, support and control. Where is the line between these extremes? How far can one go before it turns into the contrary effect? The duality of perspectives in the concept of "amae" made the choreographers realize the common need for co-dependence in their own relationships.
Choreography & dance: Eliana Stragapede (IT) & Borna Babić (HR)
Dramaturgy: Margherita Scalise
Music: Nenad Kovačić
Voice: Teresa Campos
Costumes: Nina Lopez-Le Galliard
Light design: Benjamin Verbrugge
Video & Editing: David Kalwar
"We cherish the time we spent at TanzLabor Ulm with great memories. It was an important moment in our creative process. The team at ROXY Ulm offered all the facilities and necessities for us to be able to dig into our artistic practice. We appreciated their professionality as well as their warm and kind hospitality."
Eliana Stragapede & Borna Babić
"AMAE" has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken as the official views of the European Union.
Residenz: 24.05. - 10.06.2023
In the run up to his next project "Impostor" Thomas was granted a European Mobility Grant within the Culture Moves Europe for a short residency at TanzLabor to investigate manipulation techniques, movement ideas and also just try some new stuff with his puppet and old friend from "After the Party".
Choreography & dance Thomas Noone (UK/ES)
Puppet design: Andre Mello
Music: Jim Pinchen
Funded by the European Union through the Culture Moves Europe programme.
Disclaimer:This work was produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.
Residence: 10.07. - 21.07.2023
GRAND NOIR deals with cycles and the nature of all things being transient.
Inspired by the trillion years life cycle of stars and their different ways of dying, the piece asks questions about changes and deformations, which are consequences of the passing of time.
During her residency at TanzLabor Ulm, Smadar Goshen worked with her team to revive the piece.
Residence: 10.07. - 22.07.2023
Digital dance artist Zelia ZZ Tan from Hong Kong was in residence with us and worked on the project "REfract@6degrees" together with artist Acci Baba.
Director / Choreographer / Dancer / Artistic producer: Zelia ZZ Tan
Visual director / Media artist: Acci Baba
Dramaturgue: Cally Yu
Developer / Technical artist: Joseph Wesley Moon Watson
Creative technologist: Pedro Ribot
Avatar designer / 3D artist: Tian Zhang
Executive producer: Cheung Fai
"REfract@6degrees" is a creative project by ZZZT in collaboration with TechDanceLab, with the support of the International Co-Production Fund of the Goethe-Institut.
Residence: 07.08. - 11.08.2023
Choreographers from Canada, Israel, Italy, Germany, South Korea and Hong Kong, among others, have already worked at ROXY TanzLabor since it was founded in 2021. This summer, the dancer and choreographer Levy Elasu from Uganda was a guest at the TanzLabor for a short residency until August 11.
Levy Elasu comes from the field of urban dance and developed four short choreographies together with Philipp Raiss from Ulm, which were recorded as videos at TanzLabor. You can see the first one here: Logo.
Choreography & dance: Levy Elasu
Camera & editing: creatiph
Music: @loneywav5197
Residence: 11.09. - 30.09.2023
Sofia Nappi's new play is inspired by Pinocchio, the wooden puppet who would love to be a real boy. The focus is on the metamorphosis of the puppet: how does this slow transformation from one state to another happen? How does the naive child grow up and no longer allow himself to be manipulated by others? Carlo Collodi's world-famous children's book inspired the young Italian choreographer to create a modern coming-of-age story, through which fairy-tale characters such as the fox and tomcat, the talking cricket and the blue fairy also haunt in associations.
Choreography: Sofia Nappi and the dancers
Dance KOMOCO company: Arthur Bouilliol, Gregorio Dragoni, Glenda Gheller, India Guanzini, Paolo Piancastelli, Leonardo de Santis, Julie Vivès
Choreographic assistance: Adriano Popolo Rubbio
Music: Dead Combo, Jean du Voyage, Irfan, Frédéric Chopin and others.
Sound design: Ed Mars & Sofia Nappi
Lighting design: Alessandro Caso
Costume design: Judith Adam
World premiere: 13.1.2024 Tanz Köln at the Bühnen Köln
PUPO is a collaboration between Burghof Lörrach (D), Danse Danse Montréal (CA), ecotopia dance productions (D), Escher Theater (L), KOMOCO / Sofia Nappi (I), MART Foundation (US), ROXY Ulm (D), Sosta Palmizi (I), Tanz Köln (D), Theater Winterthur (CH), Tollhaus Karlsruhe (D).
Residence: 25.09. - 04.10.2023
When the young Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini died in police custody on September 16, 2022, it was the trigger for nationwide protests in Iran. Since then, Iranian women have no longer allowed themselves to be oppressed by the morality police and the authoritarian regime under Ebrahim Raisi. They are taking off their headscarves, fighting back and demonstrating on the streets.
Italian choreographer Carmine Romano, who wowed audiences in Ulm with "Birdy" (2021) and "Paradiesgasse" (2022) among others, ventures into dance-political territory with " Der Wille der Freiheit". Inspired by the current protests in Iran and the film "Desert Dancers" (2014), Carmine Romano choreographed the gripping story of three women who stand up to an oppressive regime, create their own lives and celebrate dance in the process.
Premiere: October 5, 2023, 20:00 H
With/dance: Miriam Cheema, Jhonathan Alexander Arias Gómez, Paola Paulis, Andrea Rivas, Mohamed Ben Salah
Choreography: Carmine Romano in collaboration with the dancers
Choreographic assistance: Nasrin Akhtar
Music arrangement: Arne Herrmann
Production management and public relations: Raphaëlle Polidor
Photo: Flavia Mash
Graphics: Stefanie Deutsch
Residence: 05.12. - 09.12.2023
The Children Of Today is a work that deals with the unknown or impossible to imagine non-capitalism - are we already in a post-capitalist information world where everything revolves around sex, art and fame? What would a world without these three factors be like? The piece explores this in a fictional performance in a sustainable environment and will be performed on February 1, 2 and 3 at the HELLERAU Guest Theater in Dresden.
Concept/choreography/music: Charles Washington
Performance: Ioli Kaskani & Charles Washington
Sustainable costumes and organic materials: Johanna Schründer
Lighting design & stage management: @synch_u
Production Management: Alba T Álvarez
Supported by Kulturstiftung Freistaat Sachsen.
Residency: 12. - 18.02.2024
I HAVE SEEN THAT FACE BEFORE describes the thoughts and feelings of the performers in the moment between the last seconds of the performance and the first bow. An attempt to process a whole spectrum of emotions in the blink of an eye.
Premiere on 09.03.2024 | #SMYM! pt. 6
Choreographie: Giovanni Insaudo
Dance: Sandra Salietti Aguilera & Helias Dorvault
Music: SON LUX - Sever, Jerskin Fendrix - Bella and Max | Poor Things,
BFRND & Vladimir Cauchemar - Hedge Fund Trance (Part 1), WOODKID - Minu
Residency: 26.02 - 17.03.2024
In a poetic composition of dance, music, verbal language and text, the YIN-YANG performance delves into different perspectives of human and social imbalances. The choreography embodies the struggle between the individual and society and shows the dynamics of power in the search for balance in life. The piece challenges us to embrace our uncomfortable reality and explore new possibilities and new paths. The choreography shows different levels of the performers' relationship to the imbalances of the world (from the global to the individual). In this way, each performer confronts their complex realities and their current relationship to the world we live in.
Choreography & Dance: Tadhi Alawi und Samwel Japhet | Nantea Dance Company
Instagram: Nantea Dance Company
Foto: Flavia Mash Photography
"Coming all the way from Tanzania to Ulm, Germany, TanzLabor at ROXY offered us the invaluable opportunity to develop our latest work in a new space and country, away from our usual environments, this has provided us with fresh perspectives, dedicated time, and the necessary resources to really dive deep into the development our new production "YIN-YANG".
This is our first co-production residency as a company. This experience went far beyond our expectations and I can say that, this truly feels like a dream come true.
We have really enjoyed our time both in the Labor, Studio and ROXY and at the artists' house, thanks to the warm and supportive environment showed by everyone at ROXY. We really can't wait to be back at TanzLabor in the near future."
The ResearchLab is a platform that facilitates dance works by providing studio space, travel, local accommodation for up to 5 artists, a living allowance and a co-production budget. We will also provide equipment for a video recording of the work that would be premiered as part of our PerformanceLab program.
The ResearchLabs can take place several times a year, and can have a duration of 1-4 weeks. Open calls for ResearchLabs are announced through our Newsletter and Social Media.
Local/Global young, emerging and established choreographers are welcome to apply. We are looking to support ambitious 'dance makers' from diverse backgrounds. The ResearchLab offers residencies to choreographers of all kinds of dance styles. The ResearchLab is a melting pot of dance techniques, it is where different dance methodologies mix to create innovative dance for our audiences. Choreographers are welcome to apply with a 'work in progress'.
The residency will take place in our Labor 1|12, offering 160m2 of space, please find full details here. The Performance of the piece will take place as part of our PerformanceLab program in the Werkhalle on a stage of 12m x 10m (please full details of here) or in the Studio (104m2, for more details click here).
Calls for ResearchLabs will be announced here on our website and on our social media channels.
Please share with us your concept that you would like to develop during the ResearchLab. Please attach your resume, any videos of a work in progress, and links to recordings of other choreographic work of yours.
For questions about the application and more information, please contact the artistic director of the DanceLab, Pablo Sansalvador. E-Mail
It exists to support dance makers realize new and exciting works: from concept to performance. Each ResearchLab has two open rehearsals that provides our audiences with the opportunity to see and observe the creation process before its premier in our PerformanceLab program. It offers a cultural exchange between the resident artists and Ulms artistic community. It establishes Ulm as a city that moves the independent dance scene. By co-producing choreographic works that have the quality to be performed beyond the city of Ulm, the ResearchLab creates works that will ambassadors for Ulm in the national and international dance scene.
