Preview. COBRA (2021) brings together two worlds of expression that rarely touch: traditional German carnival ‘Garde’ dancing and contemporary art. At the work’s core lies the manifestation of gender roles and female representation during traditional carnival festivities. Between the prevalent approach in contemporary dance to emphasise individuality, and the power of community from which the ‘Garde’ dance draws, an unusual aesthetic emerges as well as a political forcefield. With COBRA, Reut Shemesh and Ronni Shendar direct their gaze onto a desire for representation of an authentic identity – if such a thing can even exist. Presented by IMAI.

Reut Shemesh, born and raised in Israel, is a choreographer and media artist who works with experimental film and poetry. Being a woman, an artist, a mother, an immigrant and a former soldier, she interlaces her own lived experiences into her work. She lives and works in Cologne. Ronni Shendar is an Israeli visual artist based in Berlin working in video, light, and stage work. For the past ten years she has created scenography and film for choreographer Reut Shemesh. Shendar carefully crafts scenography, building on abstract minimalism to capture colors, moods, and emotions. Her sharp aesthetics are coupled with a desire to bring intimacy and vulnerability to both film and stage.