The series “UNEXPECTED LESSONS – Knowledges of Body and Sound,” which will take place from May 2026 to February 2027 at Radialsystem (Berlin), explores the plural knowledge of dance, body, and sound. Interdisciplinary perspectives and practitioners from the African continent, the diaspora, and beyond will engage in dialogue with Berlin's dynamic dance scene.
The focus is on the social and political dimensions of dance, knowledge systems in music, the body as a living archive, movement as healing, a decolonial perspective on the body and dance, and a critical examination of global dance history. Performances, talks, listening sessions, and workshops transform knowledge into experience and movement.
The series kicks off with an opening program from May 24 to 27, 2026, centred around the solo performance “Somewhere At The Beginning” by Germaine Acogny, an icon of African contemporary dance, with workshops, talks, and the Berlin premiere of the documentary film “Germaine Acogny – Die Essenz des Tanzes.”
The series is curated by Isabel Raabe (artistic director) and Celina Baljeet Basra (co-curator) and accompanied by Prof. Dr. Mariama Diagne.
Dates
May 24-27, 2026: UNEXPECTED LESSON 1 – Opening
May 24, 2026
Workshop: Contemporary African Dance with Patrick Acogny
May 25–26, 2026
Performance: Germaine Acogny – Somewhere at the Beginning
May 25, 2026
Film premiere: Germaine Acogny – Die Essenz des Tanzes
May 26, 2026
Artist Talk: At The Table With … Germaine Acogny, Patrick Acogny, Mansour Ciss Kakassy, moderated by Prof. Dr. Mariama Diagne and Isabel Raabe
Mai 27, 2026
Workshop: Technique Acogny with Germaine Acogny
August 1, 2026: UNEXPECTED LESSON 2 – Music as Resistance
September 12, 2026: UNEXPECTED LESSON 3 – Decolonizing the Body in Dance
September 13, 2026: UNEXPECTED LESSON 4 – Rethinking Dance in Academia
October 31, 2026: UNEXPECTED LESSON 5 – The Resonating Body. Writing & Orality
January 23-24, 2027: UNEXPECTED LESSON 6 – Healing Practices and Body Memory
February 20-21, 2027: UNEXPECTED LESSON 7 – Knowledge Systems in Music
Tickets via Radialsystem Berlin (link will follow).
The series "UNEXPECTED LESSONS – Knowledges of Body and Sound" is funded by the Stiftung Deutsche Klassenlotterie Berlin (The German Classes Lottery Foundation Berlin).