Patrons: Finn Sebastian Diete, Tobias Dörflinger, Henri Döring, Mara Euler, Lia Falkson, Sandro Faltin, Ida Fischer, Ben Frenzel, Ida Gütermann, Jana Hoffmann, Celine Imhof, Josefine Imhof, Paula Knieriemen, Marla Malter, Liann Meyer, Lucie Moosmann, Maximilian Motsch, Alex Müller, Nele Peter, Mats Renner, Felix Schneiders, Arjen Schulz, Paul Schwarz, Lina Sefrin, Alina Seidel, Mona Lisa Stauffer, Linus Wannemacher, Lucy Weintraut
Commission: The situations in the world scare us – war, terror, racism everywhere. We want something that gives us and others peace, hope and security.
Mediator: Hannah Mevis
Artist: Reut Shemesh
Duration: 2024 ongoing
Local lead organisation: K8 Institut für strategische Ästhetik gGmbH
Program: Citizen-Commissioned Dance and Performance
Partner: Kulturstiftung des Bundes (German Federal Cultural Foundation)
In the municipality of Gersheim on the Franco-German border, pupils at the secondary school have questions about the future. They follow what is happening in the world with great seriousness. Escalating political conflicts and the possibility of a third world war, as well as local crises such as the devastating floods of 2024, are concrete concerns that they voice. There is a fear of growing up in a world that may already be lost.
“Things that are currently scaring us: Wars, in Ukraine for example, the political climate in the USA, terror and racism – also in Germany, the global shifts due to climate change.”
The New Patrons of Gersheim
The Commission
Accompanied by mediator Hannah Mevis and teacher Lisa Arauz, 23 pupils from the 2012/2013 cohorts developed a commission as the New Patrons of Gersheim and signed it in December 2024. They want to commission a work of art that will give themselves and others peace, hope and security.
In discussions with the mediator and teacher, it quickly becomes clear that the commissioners also want to find new cohesion within the group. Some of them travel long distances to get to their school. Spontaneous appointments outside of class are difficult. They would therefore like to be actively involved in the creation of the artwork and thus become part of a community project.
How do the patrons want to collaborate best for their commission? They came to a clear agreement on this right at the start. In an intensive phase with weekly meetings in fall and winter of 2024, they defined and illustrated the principles and values for their collaboration, but also for the development of the artwork. The commission was also formulated on this basis.
It is also important to the patrons that the location should be their school and that some of the artwork should remain there permanently. And: it should be a work of art for everyone that makes one think about how to live together in peace. In workshops and activities, the patrons also want to strengthen their courage and confidence in their own abilities, engage with contemporary art and increase their sense of community.
The Artist: Reut Shemesh
For the artistic realization of their commission, the patrons group accepted mediator Hannah Mevis‘ proposal and invited Reut Shemesh. The choreographer brings powerful imagery and emotion to the stage, marked by a high level of energy—qualities that immediately captivated the pupils. Shemesh works across disciplines, combining dance, experimental film, and photography. Her multimedia approach and frequent use of video in her pieces align well with the interests of the patrons group.
Under the umbrella term “Uniforms”, Reut Shemehs's work is centered on themes of gender and portraits. She approaches identity as a story we tell ourselves and within which, ultimately, one can find traces of various identities within oneself, reenact them, dance them, embody them, celebrate them. She translates questions of belonging, exclusion, identity, and power structures into explosive, striking scenes that, despite their serious topics, always convey resilience, strenghth and agency. Her artistic practice thus resonates deeply with the issues that also concern the pupils in Gersheim.
“By reenacting and embodying the visuality of a specific dress code, body language, or dance style, I comment on and flirt with prejudices and clichés. However, ultimately, I'm interested in the person who stands in front of me, authentic and bare of all decorations as much as possible – if such a state can even exist.”
Reut Shemesh
Shemesh brings experience in working with young people –for instance, in her widely noted piece ULTRA, commissioned by fABULEUS, Belgium, exploring masculinity and group dynamics – and aims to create choreographic "containers" for her collaborators, shaping dance moves that reflect and empower their personalities while aligning with her aesthetic language. In her choreographies, contemporary dance stands side by side with movement practices from youth culture and folklore.
Her work has been presented at renowned institutions in Germany and internationally, including TanzPlattform Germany, HELLERAU – Europäisches Zentrum der Künste in Dresden, Kampnagel Hamburg, Brunx theatre in Brussels, and the Suzanne Dellal Center in Tel Aviv. Shemesh has been a factory artist at tanzhaus nrw Dusseldorf and received numerous awards, including the Cologne Dance and Theater Prize. In addition to her artistic practice, she teaches at several universities.
The Artwork
Reut Shemesh is developing Wild Kids (working title) for her patrons: a dance film that explores different aspects of their commission and features the students themselves. Shemesh and her artistic team conducted interviews with the patrons and used them as the basis for developing a choreography for the group. As they work together to create the film, the students expand their knowledge and skills through workshops in dance, videography, self-defense and media literacy, while building self-confidence and strengthening their sense of community.
At the invitation of the Reut Shemesh Company, the 28 students travelled to TanzFaktur in Cologne, where they spent a week working intensively with the choreographer, whose company receives top-level funding from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. They also gained insights into the professional lives of performers and dancers and visited tanzhaus nrw in Düsseldorf to attend the dress rehearsal of POSTO, a participatory stage production by Zinola Kühn Productions, and exchange ideas with the Young Dance Company at Junges Tanzhaus.
The film format responds to the group’s wish to create something lasting that will encourage people to reflect on these issues far beyond Gersheim. At the same time, the collaborative artistic process invites everyone involved—from the students, artist and her team to the school, parents and wider community—to embrace new and unfamiliar experiences.
Following a year of collaboration between the patrons, Reut Shemesh and her artistic team, Wild Kids (working title) will premiere on 12 March 2027 at Gemeinschaftsschule Gersheim. The results of the artistic process will subsequently be presented at other venues.
In Reut Shemesh’s production of Wild Kids (working title), the students are closely involved as patrons, dancers and dialogue partners. They also take responsibility for how they represent themselves in the media and for the public presentation of the work they commissioned, including through their own Instagram profile. They will also act as hosts at public and semi-public events.
Credits
Patrons: Finn Sebastian Diete, Henri Döring,Tobias Dörflinger, Mara Euler, Lia Falkson, Sandro Faltin, Ida Fischer, Ben Frenzel, Ida Gütermann, Jana Hoffmann, Celine Imhof, Josefine Imhof, Paula Knieriemen, Marla Malter, Liann Meyer, Lucie Moosmann, Maximilian Motsch, Alex Müller, Nele Peter, Mats Renner, Felix Schneiders, Arjen Schulz, Paul Schwarz, Lina Sefrin, Alina Seidel, Mona Lisa Stauffer, Linus Wannemacher, Lucy Weintraut.
Artist: Reut Shemesh,
Artistic team: Simon Bauer, Florian Egermann, Julia Franken, Ziv Frenkel, Katja Pire, Ronni Shendar, Marie Siekmann
Mediation: Hannah Mevis
Teachers: Lisa Arauz, Julia Abel
Organisational team: Julia Hartnik, Agnès Lotton, Aude Poilroux, Sabina Stücker, Tobias Turco
Technical team: Julia Franken, Max Kluger, Tobias Turco
Local project lead: K8 – Institut für strategische Ästhetik
Photography: Lukas Ratius
Project partners: Dance On Ensemble, Gemeinschaftsschule Gersheim, Gemeinde Gersheim, Carneval Club Reinheim e.V., TanzFaktur Köln, Stadtgalerie Saarbrücken, the Rebmann family and their Icelandic horse breeding farm, Islandpferde von der Blies
Thanks to: tanzhaus nrw Düsseldorf, Ministerium für Bildung und Kultur Saarland, Land NRW
A heartfelt thank you to all parents and guardians for supporting our project with their willingness to help and their commitment.
