MO-ZA-IK – Elevate

In Elevate, MO-ZA-IK, a collective of passionate researchers and practitioners within House Dance Culture explore House Dance's liberatory and healing aspects and delve into it’s communal, transcendental, and cultural dimensions which are rooted in the queer, Black underground community. Their vision is to create an immersive performance merging the physical dimensions of House Dance with healing through communal practices, emphasizing the significance of the Cypher. Through freestyle and intuitive movement exploration, discussions, and incorporating different audio elements, they seek to convey a collective and healing atmosphere, addressing the need for engagement in collectivist practices amidst political separation and pressing global issues. The Collective MO-ZA-IK consists of the artists Jamali Abale (he/him), Viviane Le Tanzmeister (she/they), Rosa Perl (she/they) and Mátyás Kántor (he/him).

MO-ZA-IK is a Vienna based group of Artists, Dancers, DJ’s and passionate contributors within the street and club dance scene in Austria as well as abroad. The collective seeks to share their lived experiences and create spaces of collective transformation and liberation. MO-ZA-IK is a group of four members – Rosa Perl (she/they), Viviane Le Tanzmeister (she/they), Jamal Abale (he/him) and Mátyás Kántor (he/him) – from different backgrounds, sharing the same passionate language of house dance and music.

Sebastijan Geč, Malika Fankha, Nikolaos Giannopoulos, Patrick Wally– And they never looked back

The performance delves into the experiences of two protagonists intertwined in a narrative exploring ghosting, haunting, and one's transformation into a monster. It grapples with the realization of the inevitable and the necessity of confronting fear, both on and off-screen. Presented in two cinematic parts with intermissions, the audience is immersed in what is seen, heard, and felt, blurring the lines between reality and fiction for the characters and viewers alike. Confronting fear at its origin leads to the establishment of healthy boundaries, a crucial aspect for society.

Sebastijan Geč aka I am Everything, was born in Slovenia, finished his studies in Salzburg at SEAD in 2007 in choreography and contemporary dance. He has been in various projects and performances including choreographers like Willi Dorner, Elisabeth Bakambamba Tambwe, Jerome Bél, Judit Keri, Annie Vigier & Franck Apertet among others. His own work was shown in Festivals like Platforma in Slovenia with the performances What are you looking at? and After this there for, because of this. Activily working in Opera such as Theater an der Wien and Staatsoper Wien. He performed in The fire angel, Platee, Eugeni Oniegin, La clemenza di Tito and Tosca. He was a member of the first Kiki house in Austria and is active in the vouging scene all over Europe. Worked as an actor in Daniel Moshel on short film Me Tube 3, MIR:VARIABLE by Alexander Kasses and The mask of the Schwarzen- Löwenbergs by Elisabeth Bakambamba Tambwe.

Malika Fankha is a dancer, poet, and sound artist interested in diverting predictable narratives and carving out spaces for both precarious intimacy and campy melodrama. Their work unfolds structures and politics of desire by looking for softer weavings between sensation and sociality to build an obstinate yet malleable matrix of connections. Mal loves cat cuddles, streak challenges on Duolingo and fully charged batteries.

Nikolaos (Nikos) Giannopoulos aka NIKKNAME was born in Greece and completed his studies in sound engineering and sound design. He has been a music producer/dj since 2010 and has released music on well-known record labels such as Traum, Ombra Intel. and Freeride Millenium. In 2021, he created the music for Claudia Lomoschitz's Partus Gyno Bitch Tits and in 2023 for Lactans. He has an active studio in Vienna where he produces and mixes music for other artists as well.

Patrick Wally, born 1985 in Stockerau. Studied cinematography and directing at the Vienna Film Academy. Works as a cameraman on feature and documentary film projects as well as artistic films.

About Bears in the Park and the Huggy Bears Mentoring Programme

Since 2016, Huggy Bears has been a pillar of innovative performance art, supporting emerging artists in Vienna. Each year, the mentoring programme provides three or four individuals or collectives with comprehensive support in areas from production to administration, equipment and dramaturgy. In a series of different presentation formats as well as regular feedback sessions within the group, the young artists’ projects develop into very special pieces. At the end of the nine-month programme, the mentees get to present their performance projects for the first time on a big stage in Vienna. This year, the Huggy Bears Days will be held as a co-operation between brut Wien and WUK performing arts.

The programme is operated by the initiative Bears in the Park and run by Philippe Riéra and Charlotte Bastam. The initiative is dedicated to supporting the Vienna performance scene and helping it grow. To foster this goal, the HUGGY BEARS are offered not only reliable advisors but also rehearsal spaces. Each autumn, Bears in the Park releases an open call for artists to submit their project proposals for the following year.

Content Note

The performance And they never looked back by Sebastijan Geč, Malika Fankha, Nikolaos Giannopoulos, Patrick Wally works with imagery of horror and sexualized violence.