2011/12 season

Dance section

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Bettina Welzel | Dance section

Knowledge and Belief – surely no two concepts are more contradictory than these? For centuries, theologians, philosophers, scientists and artists have tried to establish what sets them apart and what they have in common. Belief is obviously more than just a synonym for religion – that has become all too clear in recent times. In everyday usage, “belief” in effect denotes a state of uncertainty regarding facts, conditions or relationships. Belief in this sense refers to opinions, conjectures, assumptions, subjective perceptions. “Knowledge”, on the other hand, generally refers to a set of inter-connected facts – a realisation. So is belief the irrational antithesis of fact-based knowledge? Is knowledge something certain, while belief is merely an assumption? That would mean that knowledge and belief are irreconcilable.

However, Augustine, one of the most illustrious theologians and philosophers of late antiquity, wrote that faith precedes understanding: “Fides praecedat rationem.” Assumptions often serve as the starting point for scientific research which – ideally – leads to new findings, new knowledge. But is it possible to believe something without having first acquired knowledge of it? Previous knowledge would seem to be a prerequisite for belief. Knowledge and belief would therefore appear to be mutually dependent.

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Sed Lux Permanet

The DANCE programme for the 2011/12 season, like that of the other sections, is devoted to this seemingly inexhaustible topic. The individual performances are designed to set the audience thinking and motivate them to analyse the version of reality presented to them, process this information and thus form an opinion of their own that may question, modify or reinforce previously held beliefs. The choreographers, dancers, lighting designers and composers involved in creating a work each present their own assumptions and their own particular view of reality. In the course of the season we will see solo performances, ballets featuring large ensembles, interpretations of musical compositions in the form of dance and works inspired by the belief in movement, gestures – in other words dance – as a self-sufficient art form. As always, our aim is to convey the vitality, diversity and modernity of DANCE.

Recent articles in the specialist press confirm what Bayer Arts & Culture and its dance fans have known for many years: contemporary dance is becoming increasingly popular among the general public. This is further corroborated by the restructuring of dance training at dance academies. One of the leading training centres for contemporary dance is the Hochschulübergreifendes Zentrum Tanz (HZT) in Berlin, an inter-university centre for dance founded in 2006 and run by the Universität der Künste and the Hochschule für Schauspielkunst “Ernst Busch”. This year, the DANCE programme will include the premiere of a work created as a result of the partnership between Bayer Arts & Culture and the Ernst Busch academy, which is now in its third year. Bayer Arts & Culture asked the young Finnish choreographer Milla Koistinen to produce a full-length choreography based on the season’s theme. We look forward to seeing how she tackles Knowledge and Belief.

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