[8:tension] Young Choreographers’ Series Podcast 2026
Season#4
Season#4 of our [8:tension] Young Choreographers’ Series Podcast is released in autumn 2026!
The podcast is available on this website, as well as on Deezer, Podcast Addict, Apple Podcast and Spotify.
In 2026 we were in conversation with Alina Arshi, Ange Ndoho, Dominique Tegho, Ehsan Hemat, Gabrielle Levie, Joce, Magdalena Forster, Ole Meland,
Samir Kennedy, Taous Bertrand and Wojciech Grudziński.
Artistic Direction: Breanna O'Mara and Chris Haring
Host & Production: Almud Krejza
Intro & Postproduction: Peter Plos
Episode 34 with Alina Arshi
Today’s guest is Alina Arshi. She presented her duet States of bewilderment at this year’s [8:tension] Series.
This conversation is about contradictions. And how to translate them into dance. About the double life of a migrated person, about the fight against the voice constantly saying "Who are you to...". It is about doing things, even though it seems not possible and about staying sane. If that is possible.
Alina Arshi and Almud Krejza met in July 2026 during ImPulsTanz Festival to record this episode. They recorded outside – at least that's where they started – and got interrupted several times, mostly by heavy rain. So please excuse the many additional noises and the frequently asked question: Where were we?
Episode 33 with Ehsan Hemat
Today’s guest is Ehsan Hemat. His piece Everything brings us back to the body was invited to this year’s [8:tension] Series at ImPulsTanz – Vienna International Dance Festival.
He told me about the times when his theater friend asked him to do a choreography – and he had to look up what choreography even means. When imported video tapes were his only source to see contemporary dance. How a broken foot started up his career, what gives him goosebumps, and how he made a copper plate his stage partner.
Almud Krejza met Ehsan Hemat in August 2026 during ImPulsTanz Festival to record this episode.
Upcoming Dates for Everything brings us back to the body:
17 October 2026, CC Ter Vesten Beveren, Belgium
29 October 2026, Rosendal Teater, Norway
07 November 2026 - Chassé Theater, Breda, Niederlande
Episode 32 with Wojciech Grudziński
Today’s guest is Wojciech Grudziński. He was invited with his solo performed by two called Cute & Akward to this year's [8:tension] Series.
We talked about making life decisions at the young age of 10, which options a dancer in Poland has to become contemporary. In which ways being abroad can strengthen your connection with your home country and how a local scene can change for the better even before political terms change.
Almud Krejza talked to Wojciech Grudziński during ImPulsTanz Festival 2026.
Upcoming Dates:
14 & 15 October 2026, Birmingham: Threesome
Fierce Festival
16 October 2026, Vienna: Welcome to 1030!
Brut Wien Season Opening
21 October 2026, Gdynia: Cute & Akward
Gdynia Municipal Theater
More about the [8:tension] Series 2026
Alina Arshi at the [8:tension] Podcast
Episode 34 of the [8:tension] Podcast is out now! Come take a walk with Alina Arshi, who's performance States of Bewilderment was invited to this year's [8:tension] Young Choreographers' Series during ImPulsTanz Festival in Vienna.
Ehsan Hemat at the [8:tension] Podcast
Episode 33 of the [8:tension] Podcast is out now! Meet Ehsan Hemat, who performed Everything brings us back to the body at this year's [8:tension] Young Choreographers' Series during ImPulsTanz Festival in Vienna.
Wojciech Grudziński at the [8:tension] Podcast
Season 4 of the [8:tension] Podcast has started! First of the 11 is Wojciech Grudziński, who presented his solo performed by two CUTE & AKWARD at this year's [8:tension] Young Choreographers' Series during ImPulsTanz Festival in Vienna.
[8:tension] Party!
The [8:tension] party – the “re-generation” – will set the night ablaze: beats and movement merge seamlessly in Rote Bar and Weißer Salon at Volkstheater. Together with the fantastic [8:tension] artists, we’ll celebrate an energetic reunion brimming with vibes and visions, set against a backdrop of pulsating sounds and driving rhythms. Come as you are, stay as you dance – and celebrate a night of reinvention!
[8:tension] Young Choreographers’ Series Podcast 2025
Season#3
Season#3 of our [8:tension] Young Choreographers’ Series Podcast is coming out this autumn!
Since 2024 the series is under the artistic direction of Breanna O'Mara and Chris Haring.
The podcast will be available on this website, and on Deezer, Podcastaddict, Applepodcast and Spotify.
Artistic Direction: Breanna O'Mara and Chris Haring
Host & Production: Almud Krejza
Intro & Postproduction: Peter Plos
Episode 31 with Production Xx
Today’s guest is Production Xx who’s work Gush is great was invited to this years [8:tension] Series.
They told us about the start of this piece, when the six of them did not know each other yet, but were invited to develop a piece together – within 5 days. We hear, how they found quite playful ways to fulfill this task and ended up becoming friends and collaborators and touring Gush is great for years.
Almud Krejza talked to Julie Botet, Simon Le Borgne, Max Gomard, Philomene Jander, Zoe Lakhnati, Ulysse Zangs and Dora Pentchev during ImPulsTanz Festival 2025.
Episode 30 with Catol Teixeira
Today’s guest is Catol Teixeira, who’s work Arrebentação - zona de derrama last chapter was invited to this years [8:tension] Series.
Catol told us how close their way of choreographing is to their actual way of living. Why they choose to work with close friends and what it means to them to choreograph emotional zones. And Catol talked about how not planning a lot, but following instincts can bring you to places.
Almud Krejza was talking with Catol during ImPulsTanz Festival 2025.
Episode 29 with Mufutau Yusuf
Today’s guest is Mufutau Yusuf who’s work Impasse was invited to this years’ [8:tension] Series.
We talked about the times when he, at age 17, was asked to join a tour to New York, about his urge to make his own work, and the difference of showing it in Europe or in Nigeria. About being seen or not and as what in society, and the unfair division of power over visibility.
Almud Krejza was talking with Mufutau during ImPulsTanz Festival 2025.
Episode 28 with Luigi Guerrieri
Today’s guest is Luigi Guerrieri, who’s work Poor Guy was invited to this years [8:tension] Series.
We talked about Narcisism, family issues and the freedom art can give. And how to handle unexpected circumstances like losing one‘s voice on the day of a premiere.
Almud Krejza was talking with Luigi during ImPulsTanz Festival 2025.
Episode 27 with Gui B.B
Today’s guest is Gui B.B, who’s work I Have Such a Horrible Voice was invited to this years [8:tension] Series.
Gui talked with me about precarity. How easily one can get in debt and what this does to a person. She talked about starting a lot of things but not finishing them, about taking risks and the blurry area between life and art.
Almud Krejza was talking with Gui during ImPulsTanz Festival 2025.
Episode 26 with Adam Russell-Jones
Today’s guest is Adam Russell-Jones, who’s work Release the hounds was invited to this years [8:tension] Series.
Adam told me about his transition from being a ballet dancer in big companies to making his own work as independent choreographer, about the attraction as well as danger of dancing until complete exhaustion. How the collaboration with musician Moritz Haas evolved and what a drunk stranger on the U8 in Berlin has to do with his piece.
Almud Krejza was talking with Adam during ImPulsTanz Festival 2025.
Episode 25 with Mélissa Guex
Today’s guest is Mélissa Guex, who’s work DOWN (full album) was invited to this year's [8:tension] Series.
She talked about her fascination for big crowds. About the magic of instant connection and how she met the drummer Clement Grin, with whom she created the piece. How she sometimes prefers speaking with her body to speaking with her mouth. And the importance of warming up and accepting downs.
Almud Krejza was talking with Mélissa during ImPulsTanz Festival 2025.
Episode 24 with Marika Peura
Today’s guest is Marika Peura, who’s work Amalgam Melee was invited to this year’s [8:tension] Series.
We talked about violence – and what difference it makes, who defines what violence is. About the longing for belonging. And how to appropriate a culture which is your own, but is still not very familiar. And about dynamics one cannot control, neither in real life nor on stage.
Almud Krejza was talking with Marika Peura during ImPulsTanz Festival 2025.
Episode 23 with Lisen Pousette & Olivia Rivière
Today’s guests are Lisen Pousette and Olivia Rivière, the makers of the performance DUNKEL, which was invited to this year’s [8:tension] Series.
We talked about the time when they met in choir school and how singing is their natural habitat. How they moved on from soprano and alto to heavy metal and growling and about their ongoing fascination with the deconstruction of the voice.
Almud Krejza was talking with Lisen Pousette and Olivia Rivière during ImPulsTanz Festival 2025.
Episode 22 with Martina De Dominicis
Today’s guest is Martina De Dominicis, who’s work Latente was invited to this years [8:tension] Series.
Martina talked about nostalgia as something more than missing the past, but missing the future, which one thought would come but did not. About how fruitful it can be to trust in one‘s gut-feeling. And about the importance of unlearning as well as of doing things one can not do - yet.
Almud Krejza was talking with Martina De Dominicis during ImPulsTanz Festival 2025.
Episode 21 with Matteo Haitzmann
Today’s guest is Matteo Haitzmann, composer and choreographer, who’s work Make it Count was invited to this years [8:tension] Series.
He told us which lessons from being a danceWEBber back in 2018 came in handy now, being back at the festival for a residency. How the restrictions during Corona times made him accidentally invent a new instrument. And which role the village he grew up in still plays for him when creating.
Almud Krejza was talking with Matteo Haitzmann during ImPulsTanz FestivaL 2025.
More about the [8:tension] Series 2025
Production Xx at the [8:tension] Podcast
The final episode of the third [8:tension] Podcast season is out! Listen to Julie Botet, Simon Le Borgne, Max Gomard, Philomene Jander, Zoe Lakhnati, Ulysse Zangs and Dora Pentchev – aka Production Xx – who's piece Gush is great was invited to the [8:tension] Series in 2025.
Catol Teixeira at the [8:tension] Podcast
Welcome, Catol Teixeira! The first episode of the year is our number 30 in total.
Catol told us how close their way of choreographing is to their actual way of living. Why they choose to work with close friends and what it means to them to choreograph emotional zones. And Catol talked about how not planning a lot, but following instincts can bring you to places.
Almud Krejza was talking with Catol during ImPulsTanz Festival 2025.
Mufutau Yusuf at the [8:tension] Podcast
This weeks guest in the [8:tension] Podcast is Mufutau Yusuf, who’s work Impasse was invited to this years’ [8:tension] Series.
He talked about the times when he, at age 17, was asked to join a tour to New York, about his urge to make his own work, and the difference of showing it in Europe or in Nigeria. About being seen or not and as what in society, and the unfair division of power over visibility.
Almud Krejza was talking with Mufutau during ImPulsTanz Festival 2025.
Luigi Guerrieri at the [8:tension] Podcast
A new Episode of the [8:tension] Podcast is out now! Today’s guest is Luigi Guerrieri, who’s work Poor Guy was invited to this years [8:tension] Series.
We talked about Narcisism, family issues and the freedom art can give. And how to handle unexpected circumstances like losing one‘s voice on the day of a premiere.
Almud Krejza was talking with Luigi during ImPulsTanz Festival 2025.
Gui B.B at the [8:tension] Podcast
Today’s guest is Gui B.B, who’s work I Have Such a Horrible Voice was invited to this years [8:tension] Series.
Gui talked with me about precarity. How easily one can get in debt and what this does to a person. She talked about starting a lot of things but not finishing them, about taking risks and the blurry area between life and art.
Almud Krejza was talking with Gui during ImPulsTanz Festival 2025.
Adam Russell-Jones at the [8:tension] Podcast
Adam Russell-Jones is our guest this week at [8:tension] Podcast! His solo Release the hounds was invited to this years [8:tension] Series.
Adam told me about his transition from being a ballet dancer in big companies to making his own work as independent choreographer, about the attraction as well as danger of dancing until complete exhaustion. How the collaboration with musician Moritz Haas evolved and what a drunk stranger on the U8 in Berlin has to do with his piece.
Almud Krejza was talking with Adam during ImPulsTanz Festival 2025.
Mélissa Guex at the [8:tension] Podcast
This week it's Mélissa Guex, who is featured in our [8:tension] Podcast! Her work DOWN (full album) was invited to this year’s [8:tension] Series.
She talked about her fascination for big crowds. About the magic of instant connection and how she met the drummer Clement Grin, with whom she created the piece DOWN. How she sometimes prefers speaking with her body to speaking with her mouth. And the importance of warming up and accepting downs.
Almud Krejza was talking with Mélissa during ImPulsTanz Festival 2025.
Marika Peura at the [8:tension] Podcast
Marika Peura is this week's guest at the [8:tension] Podcast! Her work Amalgam Melee was invited to this year’s [8:tension] Series.
She talks about violence – and what difference it makes, who defines what violence is. About the longing for belonging. How to appropriate a culture which is your own, but is still not very familiar. And about dynamics one cannot control, neither in real life nor on stage.
Almud Krejza was talking with Marika Peura during ImPulsTanz Festival 2025.
Lisen Pousette & Olivia Rivière at the [8:tension] Podcast
We kicked off season #3 of our [8:tension] Podcast and this week we welcome Lisen Pousette and Olivia Rivière!
The makers of the performance DUNKEL talked about the time when they met in choir school and how singing is their natural habitat. How they moved on from soprano and alto to heavy metal and growling and about their ongoing fascination with the deconstruction of the voice.
Martina De Dominicis at the [8:tension] Podcast
We kicked off season #3 of our [8:tension] Podcast and this week it’s Martina De Dominicis turn!
She showed her work Latente and in the podcast she talked about nostalgia as something more than missing the past, but missing the future, which one thought would come but did not, about how fruitful it can be to trust in one‘s gut-feeling. And about the importance of unlearning as well as of doing things one can not do - yet.
Matteo Haitzmann at the [8:tension] Podcast
Podcast Thursdays are back! Today we kick off season #3 of our [8:tension] Podcast – first is Matteo Haitzmann, with episode 21. He showed his work Make it Count in the frame of [8:tension] Young Choreographers' Series at this years ImPulsTanz Festival and is by the way premiering his new piece Im Styks baden at brut these days, about which he talked with us back in July.
Lisen Pousette & Olivia Rivière
Lisen Pousette & Olivia Rivière are invited to a residency to the renowned [8:tension] Young Choreographers’ Series in the frame of ImPulsTanz – Vienna International Dance Festival.
To All Tomorrow’s Parties
Celebrate with us 30 years of cooperation within the framework of our Creative Europe projects, without which the danceWEB scholarship programme and the [8:tension] Young Choreographers’ Series would have never been realised.
With Creative Europe Desk representatives and the artists Matteo Haitzmann, Lisen Pousette and Lenio Kaklea.
[8:tension] Young Choreographers’ Series Podcast 2024
Season#2
We are happy to announce: Season#2 of our [8:tension] Young Choreographers’ Series Podcast is coming out soon!
Since 2024 the series is under the artistic direction of Breanna O'Mara and Chris Haring.
As last year, writer Sean Pfeiffer was in conversation with the artists.
The podcast will be available on this website, and on Spotify, Applepodcast, Podcastaddict and Deezer.
Artistic Direction: Breanna O'Mara and Chris Haring
Interviews: Sean Pfeiffer
Production: Almud Krejza
Intro: Peter Plos, spoken by Almud Krejza
Episode 20 with Netti Nüganen
Today’s guest is Netti Nüganen. Known to ImPulsTanz audiences as part of a number of Florentina Holzinger’s productions, she first presented one of her own performances at this year’s festival. Her piece The Myth: last day, a pseudo-archeological excavation turned punk concert, is an exercise in how history is constructed. With author Sean Pfeiffer, Nüganen further reflects on this intersection of fact and fiction. They also discuss how engaging with both text material and physical objects constitutes her performative practice.
Episode 19 with Camilla Schielin
Today’s guest is Camilla Schielin, a dancer-choreographer working in Vienna. After showing her solo piece into (quickening ground) at ImPulsTanz, she talked with author Sean Pfeiffer about the development of the piece, the music and dance styles that influenced it, and how other performers shape her work.
Episode 18 with Luca Bonamore
Today’s guest is Luca Bonamore, a dancer and choreographer from Vienna. His latest group piece, Silent Lovers, is concerned with cruising – a historically queer practice of public sexual encounters. In his conversation with author Sean Pfeiffer, Bonamore discusses his start as a dancer, what it means to open up the private to the public, and navigating the multitude of Viennese spaces he performs in.
Episode 17 with Jette Loona Hermanis & Anna Ansone
Today’s guests are choreographer-performer Jette Loona Hermanis from Estland and visual artist and stage designer Anna Ansone from Latvia. They sat down with author Sean Pfeiffer to talk about their collaborative piece FrostBite, a post-nuclear fantasy between theatre, dance and installation. They also discuss the importance of genre, fashion and improvisation in their work, and how they channelled child’s play in developing the piece.
Episode 16 with j. bouey and Tyrone Bevans
Today’s guests are j. bouey and Tyrone Bevans, both waacking dancers and choreographers based in New York. With author Sean Pfeiffer, they discuss the history of waacking and the world premiere of their duet A Message at ImPulsTanz. They also talk about finding inspiration in the 1970s and dance as a vehicle for liberation.
Episode 15 with Viní Ventania & Vitória Jovem, the Irmãs Brasil
Today’s guests are Viní Ventania and Vitória Jovem, performing together as Irmãs Brasil, the „Sisters of Brasil“. Their duet Eunuchs, a haunting and commanding piece about the historic and on-going hate and violence against gender-nonconforming bodies, was one of two winning works at this year’s ImPulsTanz - Young Choreographers' Award. Speaking with author Sean Pfeiffer, they reflect on their time in Vienna, the discussions their performance sparked at the festival, and how Eunuchs as a piece of art is still evolving.
Episode 14 with Xenia Koghilaki
Today’s guest is Xenia Koghilaki, a dancer-choreographer working between Athens and Berlin. With author Sean Pfeiffer, she discusses her research into crowd dances and moshing. She talks about the resulting piece Slamming, and how anticipation and release function as structural devices in her work.
Episode 13 with Astrid Boons
Today’s guest is Astrid Boons, a Belgian choreographer currently working in the Netherlands. Her piece Khôra aims to find humanity in an increasingly technologized world. Her conversation with author Sean Pfeiffer touches upon the philosophical underpinnings of the work and how collaborating closely with the performers shapes her process.
Episode 12 with Georges Labbat
Today’s guest is Georges Labbat, a dancer, choreographer and visual artist working in Paris. With Vienna based choreographer and artistic co-director of the [8:tension] Series, Chris Haring, he met at the Austrian Film Museum to discuss his performance Self/Unnamed. Here, Labbat dances with a resin puppet modeled after himself. They talk about the process of creating the puppet and the ambivalent projections regarding power and desire the duet invites.
Episode 11 with Soa Ratsifandrihana
Today’s guest is Soa Ratsifandrihana, a Franco-Malagasy dancer and choreographer based in Brussels. With author Sean Pfeiffer, she talks about showing her solo piece g r o o v e at ImPulsTanz - Vienna International Dance Festival. The work entangles different aspects of Ratsifandrihana’s personal as well as dance heritage, playing with the tension between history and momentary presence.
Episode 10 with Deva Schubert
Today’s guest is Deva Schubert, a dancer and choreographer from Berlin. She sat down with author Sean Pfeiffer for a conversation about her work Glitch Choir, one of the winners of the 2024 ImPulsTanz – Young Choreographer’s Award. They discuss the ever-changing nature of the piece, and how one finds pleasure in a work primarily concerned with grief and lamentation.
More about the [8:tension] Series 2024
Netti Nüganen at the [8:tension] Podcast
Episode 20 of our [8:tension] Podcast is out! Netti Nüganen completes our second season. Her piece The Myth: last day, a pseudo-archeological excavation turned punk concert, is an exercise in how history is constructed and yes, it is quite funny to listen to what Netti has to tell about the making of this piece.
Camilla Schielin at the [8:tension] Podcast
Episode 19 of our [8:tension] Podcast is out! With someone who's name you will hear more often from us: Camilla Schielin, who showed her solo piece into (quickening ground) at ImPulsTanz and is one of our Creative Crossroad artists of cycle 2!
Luca Bonamore at the [8:tension] Podcast
Episode 18 of our [8:tension] Podcast is out! May we present to you: Luca Bonamore. In his latest piece, Silent Lovers, he is concerned with cruising – a historically queer practice of public sexual encounters. He chatted with Sean Pfeiffer, about becoming a dancer, and what it means to open up the private to the public.
Jette Loona Hermanis & Anna Ansone at the [8:tension] Podcast
Episode 17 of our [8:tension] Podcast is out! Meet choreographer Jette Loona Hermanis from Estland and visual artist and stage designer Anna Ansone from Latvia!
j.bouey & Tyrone Bevans at the [8:tension] Podcast
Episode 16 of our [8:tension] Podcast is out! This time with j. bouey and Tyrone Bevans, both waacking dancers and choreographers based in New York.
Viní Ventania & Vitória Jovem – Irmãs Brasil – at the [8:tension] Podcast
Episode 15 of our [8:tension] Podcast is out! It has never been that crowded behind the microphone: Today’s guests are Viní Ventania and Vitória Jovem, performing together as Irmãs Brasil.
Deva Schubert at the [8:tension] Podcast
We started to release Season #2 of our [8:tension] Young Choreographers' Series!
Our first guest is Deva Schubert, dancer and choreographer from Berlin and one of the winners of the 2024 ImPulsTanz – Young Choreographer’s Award with her piece Glitch Choir.
[8:tension] Young Choreographers’ Series Podcast
Season#1
Artistic Director of the [8:tension] Young Choreographers’ Series until 2023, Chris Standfest, and writer Sean Pfeiffer teamed up for this new podcast.
The artists of the nine [8:tension] productions of last year’s ImPulsTanz Festival were in conversation with Sean Pfeiffer during their stay at the ImPulsTanz – Vienna International Dance Festival in summer 2023.
The first released episodes will be with Chara Kotsali and Anna Biczók. They are giving insights into their working methods and artistic approaches, the making of their pieces To Be Possessed and DELICATE, respectively, and their experience in Vienna.
The release will start on Thursday, with weekly new episodes. Save us on Spotify, Applepodcast, Podcastaddict or Deezer.
Artistic Direction: Chris Standfest
Interviews & production: Sean Pfeiffer
Intro by Peter Plos, spoken by Hanna Bauer
Episodes 2023
Season#1
Episode 9 with Olivia Axel Scheucher / Nick Romeo Reimann
Today’s guests are theatre director Olivia Axel Scheucher and actor Nick Romeo Reimann.
Their collaborative work FUGUE FOUR : RESPONSE was first developed for the Porn Film Festival Vienna. The satirical investigation of how sex and bodies are commodified in the digital age was then adapted for Volkstheater Dunkelkammer.
For the [8:tension] Series, Olivia, Nick and their collaborators (actress Thea Ehre and performer/choreographer Luca Bonamore) presented the piece in yet another setting – the proscenium stage of Schauspielhaus Vienna.
A month after the festival, Olivia and Nick sat down with writer Sean Pfeiffer. They discussed their residency time at the ImPulsTanz Festival, their foray into the world of contemporary dance and performance, as well as the question of genre in their work.
Episode 8 with Sebastiano Sing
The work of Sebastiano, a Vienna-based choreographer and performer, has long been occupied with making space for big emotions. His piece MATHIEU was first developed in a TURBO residency at ImPulsTanz Festival 2022. Following its premiere in WUK Vienna’s project space, it was then presented at Schauspielhaus Vienna in the frame of [8:tension].
In his conversation with writer Sean Pfeiffer, Sebastiano discusses the creative potential of guilty pleasures and the collaboration with dancer Hugo Le Brigand and musician Ernst Lima. He also opens up about how he learned to stop worrying and love the term of Tanztheater.
Episode 7 with Anne Lise Le Gac
Her work La Caresse du Coma ft. YOLO is a multi-media performance, a lecture on digital chimeras, and an invitation to a strange and yet strangely familiar world. Together with musical collaborator Loto Retina, Anne-Lise transformed the Kasino am Schwarzenbergplatz into a misty, spa-like space of uncertainties and fabricated truths.
After their showings, the two of them sat down with writer Sean Pfeiffer. They discussed the role of levity and humor in their work, the productivity of not knowing for sure, and how their residency time at ImPulsTanz stimulated their creative partnership.
Episode 6 with Marga Alfeirão
Marga’s work opens up spaces in which she is able to explore feminine sensuality and sexuality at her own pace. She and her team joined writer Sean Pfeiffer for a conversation before the second showing of their “lesbian lap dance duet” LOUNGE.
They discussed the reciprocal effect between the music and the dancers and the piece’s ebb and flow of energy and slowness. They also talk about the difficulties in balancing the public and the private while performing intimacy on stage.
After its premiere in cold, dark January at Sophiensaele in the frame of Tanztage Berlin, the heat of summer brought another layer to the work. LOUNGE went on to win the ImPulsTanz – Young Choreographers’ Award 2023, awarded by an international jury of three: writer and scholar Anna Kozonina, choreographer, performer and 2021 award winner Tamara Alegre, and curator and dramaturg Mateusz Szymanówka.
Episode 5 with James Batchelor
James is a choreographer, dancer and dance teacher from Australia. Now based in Berlin, he works internationally. Before the second showing of his piece Shortcuts to Familiar Places at Schauspielhaus Vienna, James sat down with Chris Standfest. They discussed the ways in which James’ mentor Ruth Osborne as well as the legendary Gertrud Bodenwieser shaped the work.
They also touch on the specific excitement of showing it in Vienna, where Bodenwieser Lived before she had to flee from the Nazis. They further reflect on how expression or Ausdruckstanz is reentering the current dance landscape.
Episode 4 with Harald Beharie
Harald’s first solo Batty Bwoy is both bleak and playful in its re-appropriation of racist and homophobic stereotypes. By embodying this harmful imagery, they emerge on the other side as a newly ambivalent figure, impossible to grasp.
Batty Bwoy was presented in a spacious white cube setting within the exhibition Blackness, White and Light by New York-based visual artist Adam Pendleton at mumok – Museum of Modern Art Stiftung Ludwig Vienna. The challenging setting created an intense dialogue between the Norwegian-Jamaican performer and Pendleton’s work, leading to huge success with the audience and 2 add-on performances.
Writer Sean Pfeiffer and Harald talk about his inspirations for the piece, the musical collaboration with a Norwegian prog-rock band, and the delicacy of involving an audience directly.
Episode 3 with Esben Weile Kjær
Esben is a Danish visual artist whose sculptures and performances have been shown at numerous galleries and festivals. Esben’s works tap into his generation’s habits of visual consumption. He has introduced short-attention-span tools like social media livestreams into traditional museum spaces in pieces like BURN!.
The work was developed with fellow performers Aske Høier Olesen and Johan Bech Jespersen. At ImPulsTanz, BURN! was presented both on the big outdoor stage of the festival opening in Vienna’s MuseumsQuartier and in the mumok – Museum of Modern Art Stiftung Ludwig Wien.
With the writer Sean Pfeiffer, Esben discusses his experiences as a visual artist at a contemporary dance festival. They also talk about the heavy use of pop-cultural signifiers and accessing the authentic through the artificial.
Episode 2 with Anna Biczók
Anna is a Hungarian dancer and choreographer based between Vienna and Stockholm. Her work often deals with bodily memory, cultural identity, and dance as a means of communication. The group choreography DELICATE has been equally shaped by these themes. The work features three female dancers who grew up in different European and Eastern European contexts – namely Karin Pauer in Austria, Adél Juhász in Hungary and
Sasha Portyannikova in Russia.
After presenting DELICATE at Kasino am Schwarzenbergplatz, Anna sat down with author Sean Pfeiffer. They discussed the role of writing in the development of the piece, Anna’s decision not to perform herself, and her collaboration with musician Rozi Mákó.
Episode 1 with Chara Kotsali
Chara is a performer, choreographer and dance instructor based in Athens, Greece. She has studied Theatre Studies as well as Social and Cultural Anthropology and is musically trained. Her artistic practice merges choreography with field recordings, sound collage and writing.
She sat down with author Sean Pfeiffer to discuss her first solo work to be possessed. It premiered at the Onassis Dance Days in Athens before being presented at Schauspielhaus Vienna in the frame of ImPulsTanz – Vienna International Dance Festival. In their conversation, the two touch upon the myth of artistic ecstasy, the comfort of routine, and the similarities between contemporary dance and poetry.
More about the [8:tension] Series 2023
[8:tension] Young Choreographers' Series Podcast with Olivia Axel Scheucher and Nick Romeo Reimann
This is already the last episode of our first podcast season! Welcome today’s guests, theatre director Olivia Axel Scheucher and actor Nick Romeo Reimann.
Their collaborative work FUGUE FOUR : RESPONSE was first developed for the Porn Film Festival Vienna. The satirical investigation of how sex and bodies are commodified in the digital age was then adapted for Volkstheater Dunkelkammer.
[8:tension] Young Choreographers' Series Podcast with Sebastiano Sing
Episode 8 out today! Listen to the conversation of Sean Pfeiffer and Sebastiano Sing. The work of Sebastiano, a Vienna-based choreographer and performer, has long been occupied with making space for big emotions. His piece MATHIEU was first developed in a TURBO residency at ImPulsTanz Festival 2022. Following its premiere in WUK Vienna’s project space, it was then presented at Schauspielhaus Vienna in the frame of [8:tension].
[8:tension] Young Choreographers' Series Podcast with Anne Lise Le Gac & Loto Retina
New Episode out now! Hello, Anne Lise Le Gac and Loto Retina. Her work La Caresse du Coma ft. YOLO is a multi-media performance, a lecture on digital chimeras, and an invitation to a strange and yet strangely familiar world. Together with musical collaborator Loto Retina, Anne-Lise transformed the Kasino am Schwarzenbergplatz into a misty, spa-like space of uncertainties and fabricated truths.
After their showings, the two of them sat down with writer Sean Pfeiffer. They discussed the role of levity and humor in their work, the productivity of not knowing for sure, and how their residency time at ImPulsTanz stimulated their creative partnership.
[8:tension] Young Choreographers' Series Podcast with Marga Alfeirão
New Episode out today! Welcome Marga Alfeirão and her team. Marga’s work opens up spaces in which she is able to explore feminine sensuality and sexuality at her own pace. She and her team joined writer Sean Pfeiffer for a conversation before the second showing of their “lesbian lap dance duet” LOUNGE.
They discussed the reciprocal effect between the music and the dancers and the piece’s ebb and flow of energy and slowness. They also talk about the difficulties in balancing the public and the private while performing intimacy on stage.
[8:tension] Young Choreographers' Series Podcast with James Batchelor
James is a choreographer, dancer and dance teacher from Australia. Now based in Berlin, he works internationally. Before the second showing of his piece Shortcuts to Familiar Places at Schauspielhaus Vienna, James sat down with Chris Standfest. They discussed the ways in which James’ mentor Ruth Osborne as well as the legendary Gertrud Bodenwieser shaped the work.
They also touch on the specific excitement of showing it in Vienna, where Bodenwieser Lived before she had to flee from the Nazis. They further reflect on how expression or Ausdruckstanz is reentering the current dance landscape.
[8:tension] Young Choreographers' Series Podcast with Harald Beharie
Harald’s first solo Batty Bwoy is both bleak and playful in its re-appropriation of racist and homophobic stereotypes. By embodying this harmful imagery, they emerge on the other side as a newly ambivalent figure, impossible to grasp.
Writer Sean Pfeiffer and Harald talk about his inspirations for the piece, the musical collaboration with a Norwegian prog-rock band, and the delicacy of involving an audience directly.
[8:tension] Young Choreographers' Series Podcast with Esben Weile Kjær
Esben is a Danish visual artist whose sculptures and performances have been shown at numerous galleries and festivals. Esben’s works tap into his generation’s habits of visual consumption. He has introduced short-attention-span tools like social media livestreams into traditional museum spaces in pieces like BURN!.
With the writer Sean Pfeiffer, Esben discusses his experiences as a visual artist at a contemporary dance festival. They also talk about the heavy use of pop-cultural signifiers and accessing the authentic through the artificial.
[8:tension] Young Choreographers' Series Podcast with Anna Biczók
Anna is a Hungarian dancer and choreographer based between Vienna and Stockholm. Her work often deals with bodily memory, cultural identity, and dance as a means of communication. The group choreography DELICATE has been equally shaped by these themes. The work features three female dancers who grew up in different European and Eastern European contexts – namely Karin Pauer in Austria, Adél Juhász in Hungary and
Sasha Portyannikova in Russia.
After presenting DELICATE at Kasino am Schwarzenbergplatz, Anna sat down with author Sean Pfeiffer. They discussed the role of writing in the development of the piece, Anna’s decision not to perform herself, and her collaboration with musician Rozi Mákó.
[8:tension] Young Choreographers' Series Podcast with Chara Kotsali
Chara is a performer, choreographer and dance instructor based in Athens, Greece. She has studied Theatre Studies as well as Social and Cultural Anthropology and is musically trained. Her artistic practice merges choreography with field recordings, sound collage and writing.
She sat down with author Sean Pfeiffer to discuss her first solo work to be possessed. It premiered at the Onassis Dance Days in Athens before being presented at Schauspielhaus Vienna in the frame of ImPulsTanz – Vienna International Dance Festival. In their conversation, the two touch upon the myth of artistic ecstasy, the comfort of routine, and the similarities between contemporary dance and poetry.
First Podcast Episodes released today!
The artists of the [8:tension] Young Choreographers' Series of 2023 were in conversation with Chris Standfest and Sean Pfeiffer and we are excited to publish this podcast from today on.
The first released episodes will be with Chara Kotsali and Anna Biczók. They are giving insights into their working methods and artistic approaches, the making of their pieces To Be Possessed and DELICATE, respectively, and their experience in Vienna.
The release will start on Thursday 21 March, with weekly new episodes. Save us on Spotify Apple Podcast, Podcastaddict or Deezer!
Team
Breanna O'Mara & Chris Haring
Artistic direction since 2024
Breanna O'Mara is an international performer based in Vienna (AT). She was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and graduated from The Juilliard School in New York in 2011, where she was recipient of the Joseph W. Polisi Award. Chris Haring is choreographer and artistic director of the Viennese performance company Liquid Loft.
Chris Standfest
Artistic direction until 2023
Chris Standfest lives in Vienna. During studies of literature and linguistics, gender and cultural studies and paedagogics in Regensburg, at the FU Berlin and Lancashire she turned from political activism to theatre, performance and theory. After an active performance career she started working as a dramaturge and curator for ImPulsTanz – Vienna International Dance Festival in 2012. From 2012 until 2023 she was as well the artistic director of the [8:tension] Young Choreographer Series.
Almud Krejza
Intros & production since 2024
Interviews sine 2025
Sean Pfeiffer
Interviews & production until 2024
Sean Pfeiffer, born 2000 in Frankfurt am Main, lives in Vienna. Writes poetry, prose, and drama, as well as about contemporary dance and performance. In 2022, together with Chris Standfest, he co-curated Life Long Burning’s Choreographic Convention In Other Words: A Future, a performative platform and symposium in the frame of ImPulsTanz – Vienna International Dance Festival. Since 2023, he has been editing the ImPulsTanz evening programmes.
Peter Plos
made the intro.
Hanna Bauer
has spoken the intros in 2023.