Tai Chi Karaoke

In Tai Chi Karaoke, Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek tells us – in a clip slowed down six times – a joke about the peculiarities of using the restroom in France, Germany, and the English-speaking world. He uses humor as a means to make his philosophical theses rhetorically accessible, and he acknowledges its psychoanalytic potential for gaining insight. Through his lectures and numerous TV and online appearances, Žižek has gained widespread fame, for which he is disparagingly referred to as a »philosophy entertainer«. It is the physicality of his speech that captivates many, but also becomes a source of friction: Žižek nervously touches his nose, adjusts his T-shirt, and uses his body to deliver his punchlines. With Tai Chi Karaoke, Anna Bromley and Michael Fesca explore the connections between the body (in the sense of gender), voice, and power. The linguist Helga Kotthoff, to whom they refer, asks who is actually taken seriously when telling jokes. The slow-motion video creates a sense of detachment from the action, allowing it to be analyzed in detail. It enables us to empathize with Žižek’s gestures and embody them ourselves. The artists view this as an »exerzitium« – a mental exercise – that stimulates reflection through physical practice: Which body is speaking here, and how much space does it claim? Am I also allowed to gesticulate in this way or use toilet humor? For whom is such deviation permitted? 

You can practice Tai Chi Karaoke for yourself during regular Saturday sessions (2:00–2:45 p.m.). The sessions are led by Anna Bromley and Michael Fesca or by students in the Master’s program in Dance Education at the Center for Contemporary Dance at the Cologne University of Music and Dance. No prior experience is required. Everyone and every body type is welcome.

October 17 with Anna Bromley and Michael Fesca

More dates to be announced shortly