| Duration | 60 min |
| Part of |
Cadance Festival
Migration Nation |
Rising from the ocean’s abyss, mythologies, lost memories and messages circulate toward the future. ANTI-MUSE – to those yet to come is a collective performance manifesting the nonconformist spirit, force, and figure of an anti-muse within a fictional world. Rooted in movement vocabularies of Twerking and Whining, the piece unfolds a narrative that references the story of Black Atlantis.
With embodied, sonic, textile, and sculptural elements, a lost city inhabited by Drexciyans is evoked. Drexciyans are mythic water-breathing, mutated beings born at the bottom of the sea as descendants of pregnant enslaved people. The collective work of Andrea Vezga Acevedo, Iris Omari Ansong, mirabella paidamwoyo* dziruni, Mangoranges and Cherella Gessel unfolds as a three dimensional story with the living dead, the living and those yet to come.
This is where the anti-muse re-emerges as an ancestral force of resistance, guiding toward diasporic futures and emphasizing the three-dimensionality of time.
Andrea Vezga Acevedo (she/her) is a Costa Rican/Venezuelan booty-centric movement researcher, performer, and maker based in Vienna. She studied contemporary dance and international affairs at the National University of Costa Rica and holds an MA in Arts and Science from the University of Applied Arts Vienna. Her work is rooted in emic and polycentric research, with a strong focus on diasporic dance forms.
Iris Omari Ansong (she/none) is a dancer, performer, choreographer and dance teacher from Vienna. Her work reflects diasporic experiences, tracing visions of the future, desires, and stories from a Black, queer perspective. Drawing from dance forms and sounds of the African diaspora, Omari Ansong investigates contemporary performance as a space of imagination, resistance, and hybridity.
mirabella paidamwoyo* dziruni mirabella paidamwoyo* dziruni (they/them) interdisciplinary artistic practice focuses on empowerment and collaborative healing processes. Inspired by everyday life experiences, de-colonial and anti-racist methods are used and elaborated to take up space in diverse public and private spaces, with non-binary, queer, Black aesthetics. Dance, styling, self-presentation, and continuous energy exchange are the main components for complex creations, representing visible signs of change.
MangorangesMangoranges (they/them), also known as Yours Izundu, is a dancer, filmmaker, and mental health advocate. They studied Contemporary Dance at Trinity Laban, further specializing in African, Caribbean, Contemporary, Modern, and Urban dance styles at Irie Dance Theatre, London. They are a dancer and co-choreographer of BUNX: Dripping in Jelly of the Black Atlantic (2024). Their artistic practice encompasses a blend of poetic documentary and short films, art installations, as well as solo and group performances on local and international stages – aimed to inspire the destigmatization of neurodivergence.
Cherella Gessel (they/them) is a multidisciplinary performing artist and model based in Amsterdam. They combine theater and acting with dance, spoken word and rap, styling, and makeup and hairstyling to tell stories. From their reference as a Black, pansexual, non-binary, polyamorous artist, they create space for dialogue with like-minded people. Their pursuit is to direct these dialogues towards collective healing. As a community-made artist, this is their way of giving back.
Artistic Direction & Performance: Andrea Vezga Acevedo, Iris Omari Ansong, mirabella paidamwoyo* dziruni
Co-creation & Performance: Mangoranges, Cherella Gessel
Dramaturgy: Imani Rameses
Costume: amaaena Sonic
Concept & Sound Design: Mbatjiua Hambira Stage
Design: mirabella paidamwoyo* dziruni, msteazah
Light Design: Sarah Hassan Outside Eyes: Cat Jimenez, Veza Maria Fernandez Wenger, Costas Kekis Project
Lead: Iris Omari Ansong Production: Marissa Lôbo A coproduction by Milk and Thorns – Art Collective and Tanzquartier Wien with support from the Municipal Department of Cultural Affairs, Vienna
HNT Theater a/h Spui, zaal 1