Production Details / Press Releases
The interdisciplinary project “Ghosts Are My Reality” combines movement, video and sound to explore the phenomenon of dreaming. The work deals with Derrida’s concept of Hauntology, a word in which the priority of being and presence is replaced by the figure of the ghost. Drawing a parallel between dreams and ghosts, which as ghosts find themselves in a state of “not yet and not anymore”, Maria Focaraccio, Katharina Scheidtmann and Theresa Maria Forthaus aim to create an imaginary landscape, using the body as a vehicle to grasp the nature of dreams. Conceptual thinking and causal-logical remembering get pushed in the background, emotional experiences come into focus and different levels and realities overlap, with tones at times ironic, at times absurde, at times intimate.
Maria Focaraccio works as a dancer for Imperfect Dancers Company, Fattoria Vittadini, C&C Company, Tanztheater Erfurt.
As a choreographer she created “Short Stories-nothing too intimate” (2019) and “Dia-Fantasie Ritmiche” (2020) together with MariaGiulia Serantoni, “HOW TO _ just another Boléro” (2021) and “all you need is” (2022) with Emanuele Rosa for which she received the 1st prize award at Premio Twain_direzioniAltre 2022 in Italy. After graduating in Philosophy at the University of Pisa, Maria is currently studying Tanzwissenschaft at the Freie Universität in Berlin.
Katharina Scheidtmann completed her B.A. at the ArtEZ Academy of Theatre & Dance in 2013 (NL) and since then works as a freelance dancer, choreographer and dance pedagogue. In addition to creating her own choreographic works (e.g. Kama Dance Company), she works as a lecturer and dance facilitator (e.g. Seneca Intensiv and TanzZeit) and develops interdisciplinary workshops. As a dancer, she has worked with and for Roh Collective, C-Company, Toshiki Okada, and Danstheater Telder (selection). In 2022 she was involved as production manager and tutor in the project “In C – Marler Partitur” by Sasha Waltz & Guests. She is currently studying in the research-oriented Master’s program in Dance Studies at the FU Berlin.
Theresa Maria Forthaus works as an artist oscillating between visual and performing arts. In addition to the medium of photography, her artistic work is based on experimental collaborative video works that combine text, performance and sound art. The collaboration with artists from the fields of dance and sound as well as a participatory art practice is especially important to her work. In 2019 she graduated with a B.A. at AKI ArtEZ Academy of Art & Design in Enschede (Netherlands). During her semester abroad at the University of the Arts London (Great Britain), her photographs were published and digitally exhibited, amongst others at the Hayward Gallery and later at the Tate Modern in London.
[Source: ada-studio.de]
TFB Nr. 1744
Cast & Credits
Concept, Choreography, Performance and texts: Maria Focaraccio, Katharina Scheidtmann
Concept, Visuals & Texts: Theresa Maria Forthaus
Costumes: Veronica Bracaccini
We would like to thank Sebastian Chica for three musical compositions.
We would like to thank Jonathan Howe, Alexander van der Kruijf and Leonhard van Voorst for using their sounds.
And we would like to thank Jana-Nita Raker for photographing our performance.
ada studio
Artistic Direction & Management: Gabi Beier
Technical direction & lighting design: Robert Prideaux
PR/Social Media: Aïsha Mia Lethen
Studio writer 2022/23: Adèle Aïssi-Guyon
Funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe.
ada Studio in den Uferstudios
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)