Our columnist Margarita Tsomou longs to be able to dance the nights away again. Today she talks about how Berlin’s subculture is still raving and celebrating its freedom, despite the pandemic and social distancing rules. Her dance at Tempelhof Field is Margarita Tsomou’s way of taking a stand against the anti-democracy demonstrators at the German Reichstag.
Autumn is beginning to make its presence felt in Berlin, and with it comes a slightly bitter foretaste of what life might be like with the pandemic this winter. The mood is subdued. Worried conversations can be heard among groups of artists: to what extent will we be allowed to dance, perform and sing, if at all? We cannot get used to the fact that exhibition openings, premieres or festival evenings currently pose a high risk to health. Of course, culture will be permitted, albeit with certain restrictions, though without the collective celebrations that allow us to share our passion for culture. Berlin’s club scene is in mourning: the kind of exuberant club and party nights that have helped shape Berlin’s mythical status have been banned for the time being. This is even set down in the trade regulations governing “the joy of dancing” – a term that aptly describes the current problem: we are a sick society that is not able at present to allow “dance” or “joy”. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that the corona precautions are absolutely necessary. Nonetheless, it is no contradiction to appreciate at the same time how important collective joy is for people and to lament its loss.In every culture, and during every period of history, singing and dancing have brought people together. Ritual festivities have always been a part of everyday life for all societies. Celebrating together underpinned social cohesion and provided comfort and the strength to get through difficult times. At least this is what the queer Berlin party collective “Lecken” writes in its fanzine “Cancelled 2020”, which was published as an alternative to the parties that have been called off in recent months.
The activists at “Lecken” firmly believe that we need during the pandemic to find new ways of experiencing joy together. To this end, “Lecken” member Maria F. Scaroni developed the “techno-drift”: a new type of collective dance happening that was able to satisfy my craving to dance my heart out. The “techno-drift” is a kind of silent disco in which everyone listens through headphones to the same techno DJ set while drifting – that is to say dancing – in a loose group through the city.
Ten of us meet up in the park, ready to spend the next hour raving our way across to Tempelhof Field. Maria explains the concept, which is based on the tradition of reaching a status of ecstasy through dance in pagan and indigenous cultures, and on the urban interventions of situationists. She sees the “drift” as a healing ritual, a drug that is able during the Covid pandemic to alleviate the psychological and physical effects of social distancing, isolation and disorientation. A requiem for the dancefloor and a collective expression of grief and celebration.
We synchronize the techno track on our phones, and as we dance our way through the streets, people wave to us and join in. The techno beat thuds in our ears; we are together yet alone at the same time. Once we reach Tempelhof Field, our radius of movement and our horizons widen. We run through the fields, grin at and dance with one another, throw our arms up to the sky, which seems close enough to touch. I feel strangely moved. I sense how vulnerable we are as a society, as a planet, and how pain has become exacerbated during the pandemic; I feel every part of my body, which has not danced for such a long time. It is breathing a sigh of relief and opening itself up again. My eyes fill with tears. I think to myself: yes, it really works. We can connect to one another in dance, beyond verbal communication and while complying with the distancing rules, and in doing so we can find comfort. This will give us the strength we need to survive the upcoming corona winter together, with resilience and creativity. This also makes it clear – contrary to what the anti-lockdown protestors believe – that there most definitely are inventive ways of living a life of freedom while at the same time showing solidarity with one’s fellow citizens.
“Frankly …”
On an alternating basis each week, our “Frankly ...” column series is written by Gerasimos Bekas and Magrita Tsomou, Maximilian Buddenbohm, Qin Liwen and Dominic Otiang’a. In “Frankly ... Berlin”, our columnists throw themselves into the hustle and bustle of the big city on our behalf, reports on life in Berlin and gathers together some everyday observations: on the underground, in the supermarket Frankly … Berlin, in a nightclub.
September 2020