Kuyum Tanzplattform 2025 presents:
Re-exploring dance and healing
Encounters and workshops
19 July 2025, 2 – 7 pm
Uferstudios Berlin, Studio 11
Conceptual and curatorial direction: Nora Amin
in collaboration with the Inter-University Centre for Dance Berlin (HZT)
The one-day encounter examines somatic practices in Afro-dance and dance in general. The concepts of dance will be analysed and questioned with regard to their somatic characteristics; thematically, the connections between dance and healing, empowerment and resistance as well as dance as a practice of solidarity and community will be considered. The encounter is practice-orientated and divided into workshops; in addition to artistic introductions, the focus is on group exchange. The overlaps between the body as a place of personal and collective memory, as an archive of ancestral knowledge and as a transformative unit on the path to wholeness and empowerment will be explored. Practical experience and experiential knowledge will be used to illuminate the connections between movement, ritual practices, healing and knowledge reconstruction in dance.
The encounter is organised into three workshops, each lasting 90 minutes with 15 minute breaks in between.
WORKSHOP 1
with Raphael Moussa Hillebrand
2 – 3.30 pm
Raphael Moussa Hillebrand invites you to a dynamic and inclusive workshop that explores both dance technique and different forms of shared movement learning, such as through Cyphers, Soul Trains and Call and Response. The focus is on community, creativity and improvisation. The circle, the archetypal form of dance, is not only a place of movement, but also carries power, history and collective presence.
The workshop will explore the deep roots of dance and how dance can create a connection – both with each other and with something greater. This workshop is open to all interested parties, regardless of their level of experience or background. No previous professional experience is required, just an openness to the possibilities of expression through movement and working together in a creative environment is desirable.
Raphael Moussa Hillebrand, born 1982 in Hong Kong, is a choreographer, dancer and activist with roots in Germany and West Africa. He grew up in Berlin and was influenced by hip-hop. In 2014, he completed his master’s degree in choreography at the Inter-University Centre for Dance Berlin (HZT). As co-founder of the hip-hop party „Die Urbane“ he is committed to decolonisation, empowerment and cultural diversity. Hillebrand sees the body as a means of overcoming social inequality. In 2020, he received the German Dance Award for his outstanding artistic achievement.
WORKSHOP 2
with Lua Elmila
3.45 – 5.15 pm
This workshop invites participants to immerse themselves in the political space and explore the possibilities of moving within it, interacting with it or distancing themselves from it. The aim is to raise awareness of existing resources and to strengthen empowerment and resistance.
Lua Elmila is an interdisciplinary artist specialising in movement and performance. They currently live in Berlin and are deepening their dance practice and studying fine arts at the Kunsthochschule Kassel. Their work is closely related to their surroundings and often focusses on political issues. They also offer workshops and use dance as a form of political practice. Their movements are inspired by hip-hop, contemporary dance, butoh and baladi dance cultures as well as theatre.
WORKSHOP 3
with Nora Amin
5.30 – 7 pm
Nora Amin invites you to an intensive workshop based on her unique choreographic method. She combines her feminist approach to Baladi dance with healing vocabulary. The workshop allows participants to experience dance as a physical practice of joy, appreciation and holistic reclamation of bodily dignity, ending in an overarching ritual of solidarity where emotions are expressed beyond the physical limits of the body.
Nora Amin is a performer, choreographer, writer, theatre director, curator, researcher and lecturer. She is a member of the Centre for Theatre of the Oppressed (Brazil, 2003) and founder of the independent theatre company Lamusica (Egypt, 2000) as well as the nationwide Egyptian Theatre of the Oppressed project and its Arab network (Lebanon, Sudan & Morocco). Nora is also a Fellow of the Academy of the Arts of the World (2015), Fellow of the International Research Centre for Interweaving Performance Cultures (2015-2016), Valeska Gert Visiting Professor of Dance Studies (2018), Guest lecturer at the Centre for Contemporary Dance, Cologne university (2020/2023/2024), workshop leader at Tanzfabrik Berlin (2019-2024), Berlin Mondiale (2020-2024) as well as mentor and expert at PAP (Performing Arts Program/LAFT Berlin) and the Flausen+bundesnetzwerk programme (2018-2024). She has choreographed, directed and produced numerous dance, theatre and music performances; in Germany, for example, there are the following: „Earthport“, „Tracings“, „HAARE“, „Migrating the Feminine“, „Rite of Revival“, „Reinventing Memories“, „MY DANCE“, „Re-rooting“, „WOUND“ and „HEALING“.
As an author and choreographer, Nora Amin works intensively on the decolonisation of dance practice. Her most recent publication, Dance of the Persecuted (Matthes & Seitz), traces the history of Egyptian Baladi dance from a feminist perspective. It links elements of racism, colonialism, patriarchy and capitalism, examining their influence on the development of dance performance and its techniques. Since 2020, she has been expanding her choreographic signature by incorporating themes such as trauma healing, activism, and ritual into her workshops, exploring the transformative power of dance.
Limited places, please use the form to register as soon as possible. All the sessions are free of charge.
We are very pleased to announce that our event “Re-Exploring Dance and Healing – A One-Day Encounter” is already fully booked one month before the date! If you would like to join us, we recommend registering quickly and filling out the form for Session 2 with Lua Elmila, as only a few spots are still available there. Registration for Session 1 by Raphael Moussa Hillebrand and Session 3 by Nora Amin is currently closed.
We warmly invite you to participate in the other activities in September – the complete program will be announced soon!