With the performance ›east of what?‹, caner teker honours »köçekler«, young, androgynous dancers in the Ottoman Empire of the 18th century, who were also known as sex workers. From a Turkish-German perspective, ›east of what?‹ examines their stories as queer subjects, how they presented themselves and how they were seen. The piece interweaves sensual movement vocabulary and thus challenges sexualising and orientalising gazes. The vibration of the shimmy, a basic movement of west asian dances, creates a continuous variation that unfolds among the audience in the space. The interplay with Nazanin Noori's ambient hardcore music creates a sensory concert that draws the audience in as witnesses. In this proximity, the piece is dedicated to affinities beyond fixed identities and seeks alternate approaches to practices of memory.

Choreography, Performance & Stage design: caner teker Komposition & Live musik: Nazanin Noori Lighting design & Stage design:: Shaly Lopez Costume: Olivia Ballard Dramaturgy: Stanton Taylor Outside Eye: Ligia Lewis Künstlerische Production: Sofie Luckhardt Technical leader: Hendrik Borowski Outside eye production: Martin Bien Support: Gilles Yann Smrkovsky

Production: caner teker & PARASITES PROJECTS Co-production: PACT Zollverein, HAU Hebbel am Ufer Fundedy by: Kunststiftung NRW, Düsseldorf. Funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. Supported by: NRW Landesbüro Freie Darstellende Künste e.V. Supported by the Fonds Darstellende Künste with funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media