CANCELLED // Night of the Owls

The festival Tanz in Bern is cancelled!

Dampfzentrale and all theatres in the canton of Bern will be shut down until the 23rd of November. This includes the cancellation of all performances.

We were looking forward to our yearly ray of light and to getting together with you, our audience. Until the last possible moment we were hoping that Tanz in Bern could happen. «Dear Darkness» caught up with us on the evening before the opening. 

Further information will follow at a later stage. 

«Shall we give a little party in complete darkness?» Our answer to Virginia Woolf’s question is the «Night of the Owls». Since some people are larks and others are owls. The latter stay awake and enjoy the night, seeing it as a time of day to be active, productive and creative. The «Night of the Owls», which ends in a party, is dedicated to them. I mean, what is a dance festival whose main theme is «Darkness» without a party in the dark? Look forward to a long, dark night full of programme highlights:

When the visitors leave the zoo in the evening, things turn quiet. The animals are left to their own devices. While some settle down for a good night’s rest, others are just starting to wake up. On the guided night-time tour we discover a completely new, no less exciting side to the animal kingdom and observe dancing animals at night.

Two performers burst across the stage in fast and flowing movements. Using the shadow and light patterns cast by the dark stage lighting, a dynamic choreography unfolds that attempts to reflect the turmoil of human emotion when faced with the prospect of incarceration.  Explore the minds journey as the contemplation of the loss of freedom engulfs every waking moment. Twin sisters Kristina and Sadé present dynamic and athletic movements to the audience with grace and beauty. Inspired by true life events, they create a dark, atmospheric and abstract work that is both thrilling and powerful.

Darkness can be experienced as something pleasant, as a place that enables you to deploy your utmost concentration and as a space where you can be yourself without judgement. We want to make full use of these opportunities during the After-Show-Late-Night-Work Out with Isabelle Probst. The guests are invited to concentrate on their own body and fitness while exercising in a dark studio.

Those of you who like things more quiet and laid back can listen to night-time stories in complete darkness. But there’s no risk of you falling asleep. This is ensured by the three authors who are featured at Bern’s reading festival Aprillen, Beate Portmann, Ulrike Ulrich and Christina Viragh. They read stories that take place in just one night.

Please note the general obligation to wear masks at all indoor events of Tanz in Bern. Further information here.