Nara is a producer, curator, and DJ with a passion for dancing and connecting people. Raised in Rio de Janeiro and living in Berlin for 19 years, she has been active in the dance, performance, and queer party scene ever since. Nara currently heads the production department at Tanzfabrik Berlin and has been an active member of produktionsbande - network performing arts producers since its founding. Additionally, she is a co-founder and co-curator of Emerging Change Tanzfestival, a dance festival that centers Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (QTBIPoC) artists. They curate projects with the aim to transform structures and to create access, equity, and support networks where the QTBIPoC community is present.
@nizingahttps://soundcloud.com/naradj
I am a queer, transgender Filipino born choreographer, dance artist, facilitator, and activist. I was born and raised in the Philippines and am currently based in Berlin. My work focuses on the recognition of intersectional identities, reconnecting with my ancestry, and decentralizing Western ideologies in dance making. Holding spaces for Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (QTBIPoC) is an integral part of my artist activism. I hold spaces choreographically, curatorially, and educationally by examining how survival strategies can be translated into a communal physical practice for creative healing. Important collaborators and teachers include mayfield brooks, Jason Tsou, Anya Cloud, Nara Virgens, Eric Geiger, Ajani Brannum, and taisha paggett, among others. I co-founded The Love Makers Company with Anya Cloud, a project-based dance company. I also co-founded Emerging Change Tanzfestival with Nara Virgens, a dance festival featuring and curating QTBIPoC artists and their collaborators.
www.makisigakin.com@makisigakin
Céline is an Afro-Luxembourgish multidisciplinary artist and educator based in Berlin. They empower BIPoC families through the transformative power of art. They have worked as a producer in film, music video, performance, curation and dance with HKW, Sophiensäle, Tanzfabrik, Radialsystem, HAU and more. As a queer non-binary Black femme with a chronic illness, Céline brings a unique perspective to their work, advocating for inclusivity and representation in all their endeavors.
Diethild Meier is a freelance dance artist, dramaturg and curator based in Berlin. She studied Dance, Context, Choreography at the HZT Berlin (BA 2015) and has since worked in various creative positions in dance productions in the independent scene. Together with Julek Kreutzer, Diethild has been curating the A.PART festival for young Berlin dance artists at ada Studio Berlin since 2020. She is currently working as a creative producer in the team of the Emerging Change Dance Festival.
Sointu Pere is a queer dancer, performer and cultural producer based in Berlin. Sointu's work engages in embodied research and attempts to use soft approaches to deconstruct existing structures and norms. Sointu has performed and worked artistically in various venues including Sophiensaele at Tanztage Festival, at ImPulsTanz and at HAU Hebbel am Ufer. Most recently Sointu's work has been supported by UrbanApa, Ausland residency and A.PART Festival.
Marina is a creative, designer and illustrator based in Berlin. She loves movement, martial arts, and using the body as an instrument to express sensations in music. Her Muay Thai practice has been her grounding anchor throughout the cities she has lived in during the last decade. She uses her design background and branding skills to support projects and initiatives that she strongly believes in.
Berlin-based Brazilian DJ, host, curator and graphic artist Rafush claims their space in the scene, advocating for diversity and awareness. They co-founded the afro-futuristic collective Yoko Yoko, and the music collective “ouch,” promoting inclusivity. Rafush co-hosts shows on Cashmere Radio and co-curates the Karl Kutter Stage at Fusion Festival. With a passion for pushing boundaries, Rafush is a driving force in Berlin's music and cultural scene.
Shayma is a Queer Tunisian DJ, producer, and community organizer. Most of their work is based in the Ruhr area, where they found themselves by chance after migrating to Germany in 2016. Shay is deeply engaged in the electronic music scene, which they believe is inherently political, and they work to establish spaces and numerous projects for the SWANA community. Shay enjoys code-switching between five languages, singing along to cheesy Arabic pop, and cooking very spicy food.
I am an experimental contemporary dance artist originally from Alaska and currently based between Colorado and Berlin. As a queer white person I cultivate radical aliveness as an artist-activist practice. Collaboration is central to all of my work. I co-direct The Love Makers Company with Makisig Akin. I currently teach at the University of Colorado Boulder and at festivals and workshops internationally.
simo_tier writes and publishes zines, visual art, audio, and fiber arts influenced by its lived reality as a disabled, fat, Indigenous, agender, white, gay, AuDHD femme. It is is deeply passionate about lifting up and supporting QTBIPoC* voices and projects, as well as breaking down barriers to create a community based on Disability Justice and reformative change. It is living, working, and studying in Berlin, enjoying gardening, swimming, and spending time with their dogs.
