Production Details / Press Releases
The project confronts the history of the HeLa cells, the first human cell line to be cultivated in a laboratory. The cells were taken from Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman who died of cervical cancer in 1951. During treatment against the tumor, the cells were extracted and passed on to a laboratory without her knowledge. There it was discovered that the cells were “immortal”, that they keep dividing infinitely. Scientists were able to grow the first human cell line out of them, and later made numerous medical discoveries such as polio vaccination, as well as advances in cancer and HIV/ AIDS research. The choreographer Christoph Winkler, who has had cancer himself for a year, relates his own experience with illness to the history of the HeLa cells in a documentary dance performance. Collaborating with the dancer Lois Alexander he creates a solo that engages with questions of ethics, privilege, and racism. With music by Sun Ra, Matana Roberts, Alice Coltrance, Max Roach, and others.
[Source: play bill]
TFB Nr. 1400
Cast & Credits
Concept, Choreography: Christoph Winkler
Performance: Lois Alexander
Video-Installation: Josephine Freiberg
Technical Direction: Fabian Eichner
Production Management: Laura Biagioni
Production Assistance: Gabriella Fiore
Music: Matana Roberts, Moderat, Phill Niblock, Sun Ra, Alice Coltrane, Max Roach, Angel Bat Dawid
Additional text: Claudia Rankine, M. NourbeSe Philip, Anne Boyer
Thanks to Susan Sontag & Audre Lorde for their inspiring texts.
A production of the Company Christoph Winkler in cooperation with Ballhaus Ost.
Funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe.
Ballhaus Ost
Video Documentation
The video documentation is produced on behalf of the Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion. The purpose of this contract is to document productions in the field of contemporary dance in Berlin. The master recordings are archived by the University Library of the Berlin University of Arts. Copies of the recordings on DVD are available for viewing exclusively in the reference collections of the following archives (at media desks in these institutions):
University Library of the Berlin University of Arts
Mediathek für Tanz und Theater des Internationalen Theaterinstituts / Mime Centrum Berlin
Inter-University Centre for Dance Berlin (HZT)
Christoph Winkler / Trailers and Video Documentations
- Christoph Winkler: Interview / Portrait Christoph Winkler (2017)
- Christoph Winkler: Songs & Dances about the Weather (2023)
- Christoph Winkler: Stay on it (Onlinefilm) (2022)
- Christoph Winkler: Radical Minimal – Coming Together (2022)
- Christoph Winkler: Radical Minimal – Come out (2022)
- Christoph Winkler: Radical Minimal – Stay on it (2022)
- Christoph Winkler: A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO WORLDBUILDING (2022)
- Christoph Winkler: We are going to Mars (2022)
- Christoph Winkler: Senedon (2020)
- Christoph Winkler: Balafon Phase (2020)
- Christoph Winkler: It’s all forgotten now – A performative Mixtape for Mark Fisher (2020)
- Christoph Winkler: It’s all forgotten now – A performative Mixtape for Mark Fisher (Onlinefilm) (2020)
- Christoph Winkler: Speak Boldly – The Julius Eastman Dance Project (2018)
- Christoph Winkler: SHUT UP AND DANCE (2018)
- Christoph Winkler: Die Bretter, die die Welt bedeuten (2018)
- Christoph Winkler: Ernest Berk – The Complete Expressionist (2018)
- Christoph Winkler: Sheroes (2017)
- Christoph Winkler: Black Cyborg or If I Had a Heart for Whom Would it Beat (2017)
- Christoph Winkler: Crossing Half of China to Sleep With You (2017)
- Christoph Winkler: Five Studies on Post-Colonialism – Study 5: The Lion and The Dragon (2016)
- Christoph Winkler: Five Studies on Post-Colonialism – Study 4: Dancing Like a White Guy (2016)
- Christoph Winkler: Five Studies on Post-Colonialism – Study 3: Persisches Haar (2016)
- Christoph Winkler: Five Studies on Post-Colonialism – Study 2: Seeing Alvin Ailey (2016)
- Christoph Winkler: Five Studies on Post-Colonialism – Study 1: Can Asians Dance? (2016)
- Christoph Winkler: Urban Soul Café (2016)
- Christoph Winkler: GOLDEN STARS ON BLUE (2015)
- Christoph Winkler: La Fille – Portrait eines Kindes (2015)
- Christoph Winkler: Hauptrolle (2014)
- Christoph Winkler: Abendliche Tänze – Ein TANZFONDS ERBE Projekt (2014)
- Christoph Winkler: Das Wahre Gesicht – Dance Is Not Enough (2013)
- Christoph Winkler: RechtsRadikal (2013)
- Christoph Winkler: Dance! Copy! Right? (2012)
- Christoph Winkler: Maldoror – Amped (Böse Körper – Teil 3) (2011)
- Christoph Winkler: Baader – Choreografie einer Radikalisierung (2011)
- Christoph Winkler: Böse Körper (2011)
- Christoph Winkler: Taking Steps (2010)
- Christoph Winkler: A Taste of Ra (2009)
- Christoph Winkler: Biopics / Introducing Travis & Dennis (2009)
- Christoph Winkler: Saal A (2009)