Tabori Award 2022 - Jury decision: Overhead Project

In 2008, Tim Behren and Florian Patschovsky founded Overhead Project as a duo. It has since grown into a collective collaborating closely with composer Simon Bauer, philosopher Eric Eggert, lighting designer Charlotte Ducousso and dramaturg Mirjam Hildbrand. Since then, Overhead Project has been creating a unique fusion of contemporary dance and contemporary circus, the like of which hardly existed when the group was founded, at least not in Germany. The resulting works and the dancers and artists’ body control inspire the audience with their inescapable and fascinating virtuosity. From this unique combination of genres, the group has developed their very own language of movement, with which they negotiate both social and political issues using the stage space as a place of communication.

Communication is an essential focus of the company’s work and thematic world. The bodies of the dancers and artists communicate in a fascinating way; their own perception of the staging being that of an arena of exchange used to get the exceptionally diverse themes across. At the intersection of genres, Overhead Project are also pioneers in terms of dissemination, creating great accessibility that goes beyond the usual theater and dance goers, attracting and inspiring a very diverse audience. They are also contributing significantly to making contemporary circus increasingly popular in Germany.

What the aesthetic diversity of this fusion and communication already suggests knows no thematic boundaries. In 2015, Overhead Project dealt with the physical reality

and external perception of wrestling – one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the USA – in "Carnival of the Body". In 2018, "My Body is your Body" questioned traditional views of self-perception, the external perception of bodies and the people whose bodies were portrayed. With the work "Circular Vertigo", the company turns to female empowerment within circus history. Since the founding of Overhead Project, eleven productions within the independent scene and four guest choreographies for various city theaters with large ensembles have been created. During this time, the company has established a broad national and international network. Their recurring cooperation partners include the LOFFT Theater Leipzig, Ringlokschuppen Ruhr, EinTanzHaus Mannheim, LATIBUL Theater- & Zirkuspädagogisches Zentrum Köln. They are also in demand for guest performances in Austria, the Netherlands, Italy, Lithuania, Spain, Israel, Hungary, Switzerland and at international festivals.

The Fonds Darstellende Künste’s jury of experts is awarding the Tabori Award 2022, endowed with 15,000 euros, to Overhead Project. The award honors a unique fusion of contemporary dance and contemporary circus, which creates a performative language of its own that makes a special contribution to both the establishment and dissemination of theseformats and their differentiated thematic worlds.