swallow me / Josephine Haas

Josephine Haas /

"swallow me" draws upon my own MA research around the storied body, how through movement we can rewrite the history stored in our bodies memory. The storied body refers to the perceptions built upon ones prior experiences. Through the act of movement reliving the experience one can release the old narrative and rewrite a new story.

Through the solo, I explore nature’s resilience in relation to human’s resilience, using nature as a metaphor in rewriting our storied body. As nature destructs to reconstruct, humans can deconstruct preconceived stories/ trauma in the body and rewrite them with empowering narratives. Through the act of allowing the stories of the body to swallow us like the waves of the sea, we release what we no longer need from the narratives, hold onto the power, and rise resiliently wild.

Artistic direction, choreography, performance Josephine Haas Dramaturge advice Judith Sanchez Ruíz Music Alberto Fiorii

Residency support Theater Haus Mitte Funded by Dachverband Tanz Deutschland Distanz Solo

A New York native, Josephine Haas refined her skills at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts before pursuing further education at the State University of New York, Purchase College, and Codarts Hodgeschool Voor de Kunsten in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

In 2016, her journey led her to join the internationally touring Edge Company, based at The Place in London, UK. Transitioning to freelance artistry in 2018, Josephine embarked on a significant collaboration with Cia Denis Santacana, resulting in the creation of "Sharing Home" in Bilbao, Spain. This work was showcased at the 2019 DFERIA Festival at Theater Gaztescena in San Sebastian, Spain. Following this project, Josephine settled in Berlin, where she collaborated with various artists such as Enrico Paglialunga, Judith Sanchez, Allan Fuentes, Wallie Wolfgruber, and others.

In August 2020, fueled by a desire to delve into her own creative endeavors, Josephine initiated her own self-funded solo project, "swallow me." With support from Dachverband Tanz Deutschland in 2022, Josephine intensified her research, leading to the premiere of "swallow me" at Hosek Contemporary in September 2022, followed by another presentation at Ackerstadpalast in October 2023.

In addition to her performances, Josephine, alongside her partner Stefan Crainic, has conducted numerous movement and acrobatics workshops across Germany, Italy, Israel, Spain, Switzerland, and Poland working with the general public and professional dancers, martial artists and athletes.