Rave:Turnaround. The Process of Transformation and Rave Culture in East Germany (Performance, GER)

In her solo dance piece RAVE:TURNAROUND, choreographer and dancer Mandy Unger (alias M.over) explores the East German transformation process of the 1990s. The interplay of new beginnings and demise, losses and opportunities confronted people with particular challenges during the reunification period. Berlin underground raves preserved the early euphoria of reunification and helped to suppress fears of the future. The research for the dance solo RAVE:TURNAROUND began in 2022 as part of an interdisciplinary residency programme of the Thüringer Theaterverband. The solo performance juxtaposes the ambivalent mood of that time between intoxication and fear. It takes us through the experiences of the 1990s and explores interactive moments with the audience as well as the purely physical experience of a rave – raving, dancing, rushing, bouncing and letting go. The phenomenon of the turnaround is not only examined historically, but also interpreted literally and explored physically.