On Wednesday 12th June 2024, three Anjali dancers, three team members and three parents made the journey from the midlands to London Gatwick to embark on an adventure with our new Cultural Bridge partners, com.dance. It would be the first time we would meet in person, having previously only met via Zoom before. Excited, nervous, ‘buzzing’ – we couldn’t wait to get to the beautiful German city of Freiburg, located at the southwestern foothills of the Black Forest and widely considered as one of the best places for sustainable urban development.
The purpose of our visit was simple: to connect, to learn, to experience. As part of the Cultural Bridge’s current Tier 1 Cohort, the aims for our evolving partnership during the programme are to share practice, develop an international network of inclusive/mixed-abled dance companies and think about future ways we can collaborate – something this visit hoped to initiate and accelerate.
As our flight was delayed, we enjoyed a quick bite to eat in Wetherspoon’s before getting on the plane ready for our journey to Germany. After a late arrival into Basel-Mulhouse Airport, we got onto a local bus that took us to the centre of Freiburg before heading to our hotel, and to bed!
After a short lie-in the following morning, we woke up to glorious sunshine and enjoyed a hearty hotel breakfast of cereal, pastries and pretzels before getting ready for our first full day in Freiburg. We were met at our hotel by com.dance co-director Katja & producer Mathilde who took us on the tram to a dance studio overlooking the Dreisam River, just outside of the city centre.
It was the first time we had all been in a room together. We were all, understandably, a bit nervous and shy, particularly with a language barrier and not knowing how we all liked to work. But as com.dance co-directors Katja and Belinda took us through a series of movement exercises and creative tasks, and as we all danced and created together, we became more familiar as a group, creating a signature movement phrase and beginning to trust each other. Slowly, but surely, we had begun to work together as one big company, united by the power of dance.
Our first day finished with a trip to a local tapas restaurant and then onto the Theater Freiburg to watch Alexander Vantournhout’s ‘Foreshadow’, part of the ‘Performing Democracy’ Festival. A highly-athletic piece of work, featuring a giant wall at the back of the stage, the physical exertion of the dancers was enough to make all of us feel tired and, after a quick late night ice-cream, we headed back on the tram to our accommodation.
On our second, slightly rainy day in Freiburg, we had the pleasure of visiting local cultural organisations Tanznetz and E-WERK to discuss practice, understand more about the creative industry in Germany and begin to develop an international network of like-minded companies and groups. We then enjoyed some free time in the city, visiting the Freiburg Minster (complete with local market in the square) and climbing to the top of the Schlossberg for epic views across the city.
The day ended with an improvisation ‘jam’ to live cello music, expertly facilitated by Katja and Belinda. As we danced, a local professional cellist responded to our movements, creating a bespoke soundtrack unique to the joining together of both groups through dance.
On our final morning, we joined in an open workshop with local dancers and dancers from both of our companies. Our dancer Holly and dance artist Lexy led an Anjali warm up and technique class before we all got our creative juices flowing through some creative improvisation tasks. It was fantastic to see local artists connecting with us through the power of dance and our plans for an international network of artists and organisations begin to catalyse.
With limited time left, our companies came together in the afternoon to discuss what they enjoyed about our visit and what they hope we will do next.
“I really enjoyed the cultural learning, their way of life and language, I’m inspired to learn more” (Daisy)
“It’s reminded us of the power of dance, to connect, even in a short amount of time” (Natalie)
“I felt close to my emotion when dancing, it made me feel happy” (Jasmina)
“I could feel and experience the connections between our work” (Katja)
Our time in Freiburg having come to an end, we enjoyed a wonderful evening at Katja’s house – complete with delicious homemade pizza – reminiscing about our time together and looking forward to com.dance’s visit to us, in Derby, in late October.
All images © Jennifer Rohrbacher