Jury statement on "BÄÄÄM" tanzfuchs PRODUKTION / Barbara Fuchs (Germany)

"BÄÄÄM" – the title itself already brings Deaf and hearing audiences together, because the apparently onomatopoeic BÄÄÄM is also a sign from German Sign Language. With "BÄÄÄM" tanzfuchs PRODUKTION has created a dance performance for children aged 3 and up that embarks impressively on a journey of exploration through different qualities of movement and sound, whether with objects or with the performers' own bodies. Rhythm and movement set bodies and objects vibrating, sending vibrations through the space – round and soft, angular and wild, glittering and glowing, floating and fluttering. Courageous and funny, the piece does without the usual use of music and spoken language that hearing audiences often take for granted, and allows silence to exist.

In a playful way, abstract content is made accessible to children; noises and sound emerge through play with objects and through (body-)percussion elements. At all times, the work operates on at least two sensory levels, using visual means such as light, luminous objects, and reflections in an artistic way. Throughout the play, the audience sits around a circular pink stage and the proximity to the action allows them to experience the performance multi-sensually and to take part in the play according to their individual mode of perception. Everything vibrates, everything has rhythm, alone or together, and is extraordinarily BÄÄÄM!