Ballroom Bliss – Opening Workshop at the Goethe-Institut Johannesburg

With Ballroom Bliss, German performance choreographer-duo deufert&plischke continue their unique artistic practice in which dance is not only an expression, but also a creation of community. For more than two decades, they have understood choreography as a social art form – a space where society is not merely represented but collectively created.

Now Ballroom Bliss takes new directions in South Africa: together with choreographers Gaby Saranouffi and Moeketsi Koena, a project unfolds that reimagines dance as a collective practice of encounter, dialogue, and transformation.

The opening workshop on 4 December at the Goethe-Institut Johannesburg introduces the project and invites participants to a morning filled with movement, conversation, and curiosity.

From 8 to 13 December, an intensive week of work and dance follows at ITROTRA ART X CONNECTION – NPC, the project space of Gaby Saranouffi and Moeketsi Koena in Soweto. Here, Ballroom Bliss will continue to evolve together with artists and members of the South African dance community. Along the way, several Ballrooms will open the process to the public, sharing and celebrating the ongoing collaboration.

The project is accompanied by a documentary film that traces the artistic and social journey of Ballroom Bliss. The film will premiere in January 2026, simultaneously in Germany and South Africa. Ballroom Bliss Johannesburg marks the beginning of a new chapter in this international project, placing dance at the center as a communal art form grounded in interaction, dialogue, and process. Everyone is welcome!