Out of the Shadow
“Out of the Shadow” by the dance company “Nobulus” is modern, socially critical dance theater. The company and its founding members have their roots in urban dance.
Background
The dance company Nobulus has been active in Salzburg since 2007 under the direction of choreographer Alexander Wengler and develops internationally successful dance theater.
Out of the Shadow was first performed as a seven-minute showcase at the international hip hop event “Battle of the Year” in Germany in 2006.
A 20-minute version was presented at the Breakin’ Convention in London in 2007 and then a 50-minute version headlined a year later in 2008.
In 2009, after two years of creative development, a full-length 80-minute version of the work premiered. It toured nine stages across Austria and included two performances with live accompaniment by a 60-piece orchestra.
In autumn 2013, Out of the Shadow will tour Great Britain for the first time with Dance Touring Partnership, including in London at the Southbank Centre.
The task
From the streets
to the stage
I was part of the artistic ensemble and shared responsibility for the realization of this unique production.
As founding members of the company, we started out on the street, testing the first theatrical elements in breakdance street shows that would later become the basis for Out of the Shadow.
In addition to my contribution as a dancer, I was also involved in the expansion of the piece as production manager and choreographer from 2007 to 2011.
In 2013 I led the UK tour of the piece with an international new cast of dancers as tour manager and evening director.
Realization
A Long Journey
Out of the Shadow is a work in three acts that takes the audience on a journey starting from the beginning of the universe and continuing to the present. Evolution, human development, decisions and consequences are choreographed in a gripping physical and emotional language.
The play portrays the impatience and conflict between individuals and communities to illustrate the threatening consequences of society’s contemporary development.
Results
Pioneers of urban
dance theater
The dance theater piece “Out of the Shadow” by the Salzburg artist group Nobulus thrilled around 100,000 visitors in London, San Francisco, France, Germany and Austria by 2009.
The invited world press (from The Times to the Guardian to Der Spiegel) highlighted the uniqueness and dynamism of Alexander Wengler’s production. After successfully conquering the “venerable halls” of the Salzburg Festival Hall in 2011, the group presented the latest developments of the piece as part of a UK tour in 2013 with an international new cast.
In 2018, the piece was performed again in Salzburg by the original cast to mark its 10th anniversary.
Credits
Alexander Wengler – Initiator/dancer
Sergej Pumper – Dancer/Production Management
Valentin “Knuffelbunt” Alfery – Dancer/dramaturg
Günther Eder – Dancer/Choreographer/Organizer
Pia Verena Grohmann – Dancer
Melanie Yuk Lien Reschreiter – Dancer
Martin Schinwald – Dancer
Nikolaus Kehler – Dancer
Markus Schlögl – Dancer
Philip “freakyphil” Hagenhofer – Dancer
Vinzenz Maria Wagner – Dancer
Youngung Sebastian Kim aka “Jaekwon” – Dancer
FraGue Moser – Dancer/Choreographer
Andreas Götz – Dancer
Benjamin Blaikner – Dancer/Dramaturg
Claudia Grünwald – Organization/Communication/Assistance
Dominik Tamegger – Technical assistant/Assistant director
Sarah Smrzek – costume
Norbert Gruber – costume
