Un|Controlled Gestures – 4th Edition

Un|Controlled Gestures - 4th Edition is an initiative of the Goethe-Institutes in North Africa and the Middle East in cooperation with HAU Hebbel am Ufer (Berlin), curated by Nedjma Hadj Benchelabi.
The program aims at supporting choreographic creations within contemporary dance practices which centre on notions of body politics and poetics, intimate and collective memories that go beyond the known and written. For its 4th edition, choreographers from and based in Arabic speaking countries will be selected. The selected artists get the chance to develop their choreographic creations during two residencies in Cairo and Berlin as well as benefitting from mentorship and a production grant of the equivalent of 2.000 Euro (in words: Two Thousand Euros).

by Nedjma Hadj Benchelabi
 

In a trembling world, bodies seek new pathways — performative languages from and within Arab cultures that move beyond locality and transcend borders. Un|Controlled Gestures – 4th Edition invites artists to reflect upon present instability, reshaping bodily knowledge into new performative vocabularies.
The notion of “shaking up bodies' languages” suggests a radical reimagining: challenging inherited forms, embracing transformation, and allowing movement to articulate multiple layers of intimate and collective experiences. Exploring sources of strength and resistance that the body carries to transform them in a performative process.

This edition invites artists to embark on a dual journey: personal artistic exploration and collective experimentation. Through a newly introduced format of collaborative jam sessions, participants will question and redefine concepts such as solidarity, agreement, and shared spaces. Togetherness is not assumed but constructed, dismantled, and reassembled through creative space.

This project serves as both initiation and invitation: a process of learning from one another while embracing the equally vital act of un-learning. Introducing artists to the city and local art field is seen as a fertile ground to explore, disrupt, and reimagine their practice.

Un-Controlled Gestures – 4th Edition is a call to inhabit the trembling. “La pensée du tremblement surgit de partout […] Elle nous préserve des pensées de système et des systèmes de pensée. Elle ne suppose pas la peur ou l’irrésolu, elle s’étend infiniment comme un oiseau innumérable, les ailes semées du sel noir de la terre. Elle nous réassemble dans l’absolue diversité, en un tourbillon de rencontres. Utopie qui jamais ne se fixe et qui ouvre demain, comme un soleil et un fruit partagés.” 

Édouard Glissant, La Cohée du Lamentin. Poétique V, Gallimard, 2005.

September 13 and 14, 2025: Online kick-off workshop
The choreographers will meet for the first time and explore philosophical and artistic approaches with cultural theorists, artists and dance experts.

October 12 – November 3, 2025: 1st Residency – Cairo
During this three-week residency in Cairo the artists will have time for research and experimentation. Mentors will provide feedback to support the development of the choreographic projects. In addition, the residency is an opportunity to exchange with peers as well as choreographers, performers and artists from Cairo and the region: The Arab Arts Focus (20. - 26. October 2025) of the Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF) taking place at the same time as the residency will be a unique opportunity for this. At the end of the residency a public presentation of all work-in-progress performances will take place at Goethe-Institut Cairo on November 2.

November 2025 – April 2026: Individual Work
The artists will develop their projects individually. Online follow up meetings with mentors will be organised.

April 5 – April 25, 2026: 2nd Residency – Berlin
During the second residency in Germany, the choreographic projects are developed further and prepared for the work-in-progress performance at HAU. The first phase of this residency will take place in a residency space outside of Berlin. The second phase of the residency will take place at HAU itself. Mentors will provide feedback to the performances and the technical team of HAU will hold a workshop to introduce the possibilities of the space.

Please note: The mentioned dates and locations can be subject to slight changes, which will be communicated as early as possible.

The Goethe-Institut is the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany with a global presence of 158 institutes in 98 countries. It facilitates international cultural exchange, promotes access to the German language and supports the unimpeded development of culture and science.

HAU Hebbel am Ufer stands with its four stages, HAU1, HAU2 and HAU3, and since 2020 the
digital stage HAU4, for current artistic positions at the interface of theatre, dance and performance. Additionally, music, visual arts, and discursive formats are essential
components of the programme, which connects the vibrant artistic scene in homebase Berlin with strong international voices.

Born in Algiers, Nedjma Hadj Benchelabi lives in Brussels. Recently, she was curating the Mahmoud Darwish Chair Program within Bozar (Brussels) and coordinator of the Dance Biennale of Africa (Marrakech). Nedjma is curator and dramaturge of the Halaqat and Un|Controlled Gestures projects, initiated by the Goethe-Institut.

In case you have any questions, please contact the Goethe-Institut Cairo via mail: uncontrolled.gestures@goethe.de.

"Un|controlled Gestures - 4th Edition" is an initiative of the Goethe-Institut in cooperation with HAU Hebbel am Ufer (Berlin), curated by Nedjma Hadj Benchelabi.