Ben J. Riepe
In HOLY SHIT – A Human Experience, choreographer Ben J. Riepe invites us into a special stage space somewhere between a cathedral, a lounge, and an artificial horizon – into a room wherein the audience is not only asked to watch but also to become part of a collective experience that demands physical presence and readiness. Starting from the idea of a seer, a visionary – simultaneously human and superhuman, vulnerable and authoritarian – HOLY SHIT unfolds as a performance session veering from dystopian to utopian, from destruction to promise. From text and music, sound and light landscapes that influence our nervous systems, from AI generated video worlds and live images, a transitional passage emerges, to be experienced physically: An evening asking how connectedness may still be possible today – beyond irony, spiritual bypassing and distanced observation. HOLY SHIT is neither a wellness ritual nor a consumable feeling of community but rather a proposal for a new experience ranging from beauty to imposition, from theatre experience to guided session, affecting all senses, releasing us all into the night, changed.
HOLY SHIT represents an on-stage attempt to collectively reach a state – not through explanations but through the body. Ben J. Riepe
Ben J. Riepe was born in 1979 and studied dance and choreography at Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen. Following his graduation, he held several positions as a stage dancer, among them work with Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch as well as with V.A. Wölfl / NEUER TANZ. The choreographer, freelance artist since 2006 and multiple awardee, has maintained his own production venue in Düsseldorf since 2010. He has received the Excellency Grant since 2018 and, starting in 2024, the North Rhine-Westphalian institutional grant. His most recent premieres at tanzhaus nrw were the transmedia opera GESCHÖPFE (2020) and musical theatre performance EVER | RÊVE in 2023.
Duration: ca. 100 min.
Note: Use of stroboscopic light. The performance takes place in a completely white stage space. We recommend wearing comfortable clothing and ask audience members to remove their shoes upon arrival.
In German and English
| Date | Accompanying programm |
|---|---|
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Sat 21.03. subsequently |
Talk: Panel |
Concept, Choreography, Direction, Performance: Ben J. Riepe; Featuring: Izaskun Abrego, Dominik Więcek; Stage: Aliki Anagnostakis, Ben J. Riepe; Costuming: Dominik Więcek; Light: Julius Kindermann, Timo Löffler, Ben J. Riepe, BE LIGHT Now GmbH; Music, Sound, Composition: Aleksander Rynkowski, Dario Albiez; Video: Norbert Pape; Outside Eye: Janine Blöß; Concept Consulting: Werner Mikus; Technical Direction: Julius Kindermann; Stage Technician: Timo Löffler, Project Management: Annegret Debitz; Choreographic Assistance: Darwin Diaz; Production Assistant: Billy Dering; Director Intern: Emilia Granz; Organization, Administration: Izaskun Abrego; Press and Public Relations: Nassrah-Alexia Denif; Social Media: Lisa-Carolin Schubert.
HOLY SHIT – A Human Experience is a production by the Ben J. Riepe Company in co-production with tanzhaus nrw, supported by the Kunststiftung NRW and the Kunst- und Kulturstiftung der Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf.
The Ben J. Riepe Company is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Cultural Affairs Office of the City of Düsseldorf.
