July Weber: The Devil's Hour

Inspired by courtship dances from the animal kingdom as well as medieval couple and round dances, July Weber unfolds a choreography of seductive dances for non-human audiences like ghosts and demons, performed at the historically charged midnight hour – when supernatural forces are said to be especially powerful. The attraction and strength of the unknown becomes the engine of movement, giving rise to dances that range from choreographed to airily somatic, seeking to seduce an unknown, fleeting body like that of a ghost.

Drawing on the archetype of the court jester, who in the Middle Ages enjoyed the right to criticise and parody without punishment, the piece questions the need for staged self-expression, entertainment, and decoration. Against minimal scenery, air currents generated by wind machines render the ephemeral tangible and transform into sculptural material that shapes movement in an ethereal yet exceedingly powerful way.

July Weber (all pronouns) is a choreographer/dancer, visual artist and set designer. July Weber studied sculpture at the HBK Braunschweig and at the Academy of Arts Vienna as well as choreography at the HZT Berlin and at the Theaterschool in Amsterdam. Weber's work deals with spaces of interaction between body, material and movement and moves at the intersection of visual art and performance. In 2020 July Weber founded NEW FEARS - a gallery for dance and performance in Berlin Wedding.

https://julianweber.berta.me/