Dance Ambassador Celine

Impressions of the PURPLE Festival 2026

An experience report

PURPLE - International Dance Festival for Young Audience 2026

Dance Ambassador Nele was on the road at the PURPLE Dance Festival and describes her impressions of the productions ‘Witch Hunting’ and ‘Happy Hype’.

Witch Hunting – par Terre / Anne Nguyen Dance Company

On Sunday, one day after the opening of PURPLE Tanzfestival, I watched the performance “Witch Hunting” at HAU1- Hebbel am Ufer and I was really overwhelmed. The dancers embodied the emotions as impressively as I have rarely experienced in performances.

With insulated light and suspenseful music, the dancers appeared on stage one after the other from different sides and formed a community. At first I thought. But the movements went over and over again into one another. One could almost recognize combative expressions. And yet again and again the community returned to dance as an aspect that was also recognizable in the clothes. Although each dancer had their own individual dance style, two dancers formed a pair inside each by the color of their clothes. This was held either red, white or blue. Despite this connection of two people each, there was also a feeling of community among all the dancers inside. A dance together. But this supposed cohesion turned around. There were always new outsiders inside.

The recurring motif was particularly impressive when the dancers pointed their fingers at themselves, the stage wall or at us - the audience. So I felt directly addressed and was involved in the question of guilt or innocence. Who was guilty? Does guilt destroy the community? The piece left many questions.

What still makes me think so far are the music excerpts from “Freude schöner Götterfunken”, which were repeatedly interrupted by beats or modern music. Should this well-known melody, community and peace/freedom, show us that there is not only our privileged European world? You can see: One more question.

But despite the questions, the performance was able to convey so much to me. The composition of the different dance styles, such as krumping, popping, hip-hop and traditional and urban African dances impressed me very much and I clapped with full force.

Happy Hype UINCH OUINCH x Mullah + 10. Years PURPLE Anniversary Party

Few are on the road on this icy evening. Unless you're on your way to the end of the Purple Dance Festival, like me and a few others getting off the subway with me. In contrast to the street, there is already a lot going on in Uferstudio 14. The tickets are picked up close, greeted, brought something to drink and looking forward to today’s performance “Happy Hype”.

When the doors are opened, my girlfriend and I are surprised. No chairs? Instead, we sit around the stage and are then directly involved in the performance.

The Ouinchs bring an enormous presence as soon as they enter the room. Wrapped in clothes, the dancers play with the audience and finally place us right again.

Then the first beats of DJ Mullah sound. You can't help but go along.

The traditional dance steps and the costumes initially bring a mysterious mood and definitely tension with them.

Gradually, the dancers reveal themselves of their costumes. The hats, skirts, jackets and fabrics fly into the audience and a jacket suddenly lands on my head. But then it really starts. There are scarce sports clothes that are definitely needed. The energy level is right at the top due to the dynamic club moves and by involving the audience, e.g. even working on the audience benches, you feel directly involved in the “party” or joie de vivre and energy that is conveyed.

The energy level never decreases and there are always new, sometimes bizarre parts, in which, for example, a rather impressive structure is created, such as a horse with a rider. You can only be amazed all the time and feel like dancing along.

However, I thought it was a bit of a pity that even before the piece was finished properly, there was clapping in a quiet place. But luckily it went on again and every dancer in has a kind of solo part. I found them particularly impressive, because everyone was very individual and proudly expressed their own peculiarities through the dance. In retrospect, I also found it remarkable that these peculiarities in the community complemented each other so well and one has clearly seen how much fun the dancers had inside.

Finally, it should not be forgotten that the piece was an incredibly good start to the closing party. Because the dancers brought us - the audience - on stage and the party continued with the impressive beats of DJ Mullah.