Thirteen Berlin-based guest dancers, some up-and-coming, others well established within the dance world. Justin Peck, a Tony Award-winning choreographer and resident dancer from the New York City Ballet, recognized for his merging of classic with modern dance styles. Sasha Waltz, an experimental modern choreographer with countless achievements to her name including the creation of several renowned performing arts spaces in Germany. These worlds merge together in Move Like a Human.

Moving through a city has become part of our daily routine. It’s a choreographed dance of millions of people moving together. The piece celebrates “the simplicity of a movement or a gesture [...] like picking up a cup, getting up in a beautiful way, or turning around, you know – it can be a dance.” Sasha Waltz shares. Arranged by Peck and Waltz, Move Like a Human—inspired by Waltz’s In C, choreography borne from the 1964 minimalist music of the same name—is an evolving interpretative dance using the adaptability of the dancers to reflect the unique ways we move. “[Movement] should be about freely expressing yourself. It should be about what your most natural response is. What your most natural impulse is to any situation in life” says one of the dancers, Celine Celeesi. 

In Move Like a Human, the dancers infuse their own individual dance style on the choreography, subtly weaving in their own personal expression to the movements. Each dancer inspired by everything from traditional performing arts to techno—a reflection of the artistic, yet underground mood of Berlin—and connecting the dance to the gestures, reflexes, and actions we subconsciously perform daily. “The choreography is just sort of this theoretical thing” Peck considers. “What brings it alive is dance interpretation. The dancers who absorb it and interpret it.” 

In rehearsals, in the moments between practice, and in the shared joy of hearing “that’s a wrap” – there’s more connection at work. Moving together through dance creates a sense of belonging. A feeling of something larger than ourselves. It’s a way to communicate, connect, express, and a space to share and learn from each other.

“It's super exciting when different dancers come together and we exchange,” says dancer Ricco Boateng. Captivated by the trending dance style ‘jerking’ in the 2000s, a street dance characterized by loose bouncy movements, Ricco turned the streets of Berlin into his dancefloor. “And I've learned so much. Sometimes [I’ve learned] more from dancers that have a different style than from dancers that have the same style that I have. Because there's so much more exchange going on.” he continues. “I was always moving with other people. And the way they dance always helped me to see who they really are. It helped me to really see myself for who I am.” 

Classically trained ballet dancer Nicholas Rose shares Ricco’s sentiment. “I’ve learned a lot about my personality through the way I move. I’ve learned more things about myself without saying anything. I'm constantly keeping ballet and dance in my life because I'm constantly wanting to learn and evolve from who I was the day before or a year before or 10 years before.”

“Dancing really comes from a very personal space. It arrives from the relationships you have with the people around you. I learned most of my movement from going to clubs with really close friends and exchanging with dancers from other dance backgrounds.” dancer Celine Celeesi reflects. “Most education for me happens amongst the people, amongst the dancers and amongst the dance cultures.”

Moving together in rhythm has united us as humans for millennia. Cave paintings in central India dating back as far as 9,000 years ago show bodies in synchronized movement, swaying and bobbing in unison—believed to be for storytelling during celebrations and religious ceremonies. From early civilization to modern city streets, it’s still true today. And it’s part of our every day. Dancing is a way to tell stories, to express emotion, to celebrate the ways we move. Dance together, and connection increases tenfold.

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