Dance was a platform of equal footing
Inspiring others through dance: Raphael Moussa Hillebrand. Pix by Eshan Fernando
In its mission to foster the international exchange of culture by organising events and festivals of a multidisciplinary nature not limited to dance, music, and theatre, the Goethe-Institut Sri Lanka also aims to promote a contemporary portrait of Germany.
Visiting Colombo this week to present his very own interpretation of his multi-ethnic heritage and identity, is Raphael Moussa Hillebrand, the first urban dancer to be honoured as part of the Deutscher Tanzpreis (German Dance Prize) for outstanding developments in dance in 2020. A dancer and choreographer, Hillebrand was born in Hong Kong to a German mother and Malian father and moved to Berlin, where he was raised.
Hillebrand will perform his solo show Auf Mein Schultern (On My Shoulders) today, Sunday, July 31 at the Elphinstone Theatre, Colombo 10 at 6 p.m. and another show for school students on Monday, August 1 at 3 p.m.
Auf Mein Schultern, is an autobiographical work that Hillebrand created for his three-year-old daughter in 2019 and through the performance, he tells his life story to the audience who collectively represent his daughter.
The title of the performance is derived from the instances in his daily life where he would carry his daughter on his shoulders. To him, it is the idea that his shoulders represent a starting point from which she can start her own story, and that by narrating his own, she can know her roots and connect with them.
“It is a narrative and a perspective on life that is shaped by the extraordinary condition of being born in a British colony to a European mother, having an African father, growing up in a white society, not knowing your relation to Africa, and finding it out,” explains Hillebrand. The solo performance which is an in-house production of Ballhaus Naunynstrasse features dance, break-dance, and spoken word and is accompanied by Eurico Ferreira Mathias on cello.
Hillebrand also conducted a series of workshops in urban dance this past week at the Deanna School of Dancing, Thimbirigasyaya, demonstrating techniques along with a brief yet insightful look into the history of the technique, genre, or both, providing context to the dance as well as the music.
No stranger to working with children and young adults across the globe, he says that being able to inspire others is the biggest gift that he has received from arts and dancing. “Hearing that someone is starting to practise every day, or wants to go in this direction is the most satisfying thing I get from dance.”
Hillebrand himself started dancing hip-hop in 1997 and after a few years launched his career as a dancer, participating in and winning b-boy battles and other competitions both nationally and internationally. His foray into dance was a means of getting away from the backdrop of social imbalance at the time – the 1980s and 1990s – when being a person of colour in a predominantly Caucasian city meant relentless inquiries into his heritage and the discrimination that came with it. “From the first time I went into practice, it was a place where I didn’t have to justify my existence. You came to practise and it was all about the dance and not your origin or bloodline,” reflects Hillebrand.
Showing the moves: Hillebrand with students at the Deanna School of Dancing
Since completing a master’s degree in choreography in 2014 at the age of 30, he has been dedicated to working in the intersectionality of urban dance, contemporary dance, and theatre – performing in, and subsequently choreographing and directing various productions such as an urban adaptation of Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle, Der Rap des Nibelungen, and Volxtanz – a take on the German word for folk dance – which shed light on the national identity of dance by combining urban dance with traditional German folk dance.
Hillebrand also became the first Black leader of a political party in Germany when he co-founded Die Urbane (The Urban), a party formed in 2017. Die Urbane is the first political party based on the positive values of hip-hop, created out of the need to be represented in the German democratic system. He attributes its founding to political decisions which are made with a focus on a small percentage of the population, and not on those of different races, sexual orientations and gender identities, or cultures. “I think real democracy has to think of the marginalized,” he says.
A revolutionary who aims to overcome the social imbalance in the system through dance, he recognises dance and all art forms as necessary as it gives people the possibility to see the world through the eyes of someone else, “but it only works if the other person wants to see you and is empathetic.” He is also realistic and acknowledges that art alone won’t bring about a revolution or tear down walls, “it’s one step, but in the end, we still have to integrate it into our lives and policies and follow the consequences.”
Free invitations for both shows of Auf Mein Schultern (today at the Elphinstone Theatre, Colombo 10 at 6 p.m. and the school show tomorrow August 1 at 3 p.m.) can be collected at the Goethe-Institut (39, Gregory’s Road, Colombo 7) or reserved via 0117 201 299.
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