Dance ambassador Celine
In the Whale
Between whale, water world and children’s fantasy – A morning with ‘Im Wal’ in the Kulturhaus Karlshorst
“Im Wal” is a dance theatre play for children from 4 years of age by the collective “OOPSALA”. The collective consists of 4 Berlin artists. They have made it their mission to introduce children to dance interactively and with fun. They deal with climate policy issues and let the children of their imagination run wild.
Journey to the underwater world
The journey already started exciting, because the Berlin S-Bahn trains were anything but reliable this morning. Nevertheless, I arrived at the Kulturhaus in time. Even before I entered the building, a young man ran in front of me – apparently he had the same goal. In the foyer we were warmly welcomed and accompanied directly into the hall.
Even before the beginning there was a special atmosphere. Around me, numerous elementary school classes and kindergarten groups were waiting full of anticipation for admission. The children sat on the floor, talked excitedly and couldn't wait for it to start. After greeting the three performers, I took my place. Shortly thereafter, the children poured into the hall – loud, curious and full of energy.
With the extinction of the light began a quiet, almost dreamlike journey into an underwater world. The three dancers appeared with large plastic wraps and bags reminiscent of floating jellyfish. Slow, flowing movements brought the sea to life on stage. While I found these poetic images very atmospheric, many children reacted with giggles and laughter. In the following conversation, the artists told me that they had also surprised me with this reaction. For her, this scene was romantic and peaceful – a nice example of how different children and adults can perceive the same images.
After a short time, the children themselves became part of the performance. Together, they learned simple hand signals such as ‘stop’ or ‘everything is okay’ because, after all, one cannot speak underwater. When asked if they had come to learn to dive, a boy spontaneously shouted: ‘I'm always drowning!’ This unexpected comment caused a lot of laughter and further loosened the mood.
Dance, fantasy and interactive moments
Especially remembered is a boy with a safety vest. He was full of urge to move and kept looking for his way onto the stage. I later learned that he was an autistic person. While many adults might have tried to hold him back, the open structure of the piece seemed to give him room to get involved in his very own way.
A particularly touching moment arose when the performers were swallowed by the whale throughout history. After numerous attempts to get out, they were exhausted. They covered themselves with the plastic sheets and lay down to sleep. Exactly at this moment, the boy ran onto the stage, looked at the scene attentively, also took a foil, lay down next to the dancers and carefully covered himself. Without a word, he became part of this silent image. It was neither disturbing nor set up – rather a very honest, almost magical moment arose.
Later, the three dancers transformed under the foil into a long, rough-like creature that moved through space. Here, too, the boy slipped under the foil and became part of the monster. It wasn't until this disbanded that he left the stage and was greeted kindly by his educators.
Finally, the question arose as to how the dancers could leave the whale. The children developed a wide variety of ideas: Jump out, build a tower, or help each other. However, the most creative response came from a boy who suggested simply tickling the whale to spit it out. That's how it finally happened.
After the end of the story, all children were allowed to experiment with the plastic foils themselves, dance and discover the materials. The applause was great and many children did not want to leave the room at all – some even wanted an encore.
Personally, I liked ‘Im Wal’ very much. I was particularly impressed by the imaginative visual language and the warmth of the three performers. In the following conversation I got exciting insights into their way of working. I also learned that the piece was inspired by the Spanish production ‘Plankton’.
However, I had a small criticism. The many participatory moments during the performance repeatedly led to unrest. Until all the children sat in their seats again, often some time passed, whereby the narrative flow was interrupted several times. I could imagine that bundled hands-on phases, for example stronger at the end, would further enhance the impact of the piece.
Nevertheless, the positive impression clearly prevailed for me. ‘Im Wal’ combines dance, fantasy and interactive moments in a very loving way. It shows how different children experience art, how valuable spontaneous moments can be and that sometimes just the unplanned moments leave the strongest memories.
You are also interested in becoming a dance ambassador, then contact Canan Erek: info@purple-festival.de
