THIS IS NOT THE END
Thoravej 29
The artistic research
Tekin's choreographic practice is informed by Kurdish feminism, liberation movements, and post-/ decolonial theory. In previous works, she has explored the entanglements of body, land, language, and power.
With THIS IS NOT THE END, she continues this line of inquiry through a DUET that will premiere in November 2026 at the Sophiensæle Berlin. At the core of the research is an investigation of the power structures and systems of knowledge that determine which bodies and movements are recognized and valued.
Drawing on Gayatri Spivak’s concept of EPISTEMIC VIOLENCE, the project examines how dance can operate beyond folkloric appropriation and neoliberal identity politics. The duet brings together SOCIAL DANCES from LEVANTINE TRADITIONS with Western codified forms such as the Waltz and Rumba. Through this entanglement, frictions and dialogues emerge between collective and formalized movement practices. These encounters reveal how dance functions as a form of CULTURAL MEMORYwhile remaining shaped by power relations, destabilizing hierarchies between “high art” and folkloric practice.
