The Dance of Grass

Ethno political dance tutorial

Performance

“This dance, when practised correctly, could create a major change in the capitalist system of production.”

— José Mujica, President of Uruguay

The Dance of Grass proposes a way of dancing that is closer to political activism than to a leisure activity, resisting the incrementing co-modification and mediatization of life. It was first practised by the Karaja people in Mato Grosso, Brazil. Implemented as a way of interrupting the production of food or tools; it has a regulating function in the Karaja society. Abstracted from its traditional context and imported into Western Central Europe, The Dance of Grass can be used as a method of peaceful resistance to the official idea of “progress”. This “progress” means a continuous increment in the amount and speed of the activities of production and consumption causing an obvious impact on the environment.

First presented in the unplugged performance festival, Up to Nature, curated by brut Wien and Wiener Festwochen, June 2012.