„The extreme freedom inherent in dance is demonstrated with fascinating strength in this performance.“
„You have to see it to believe it…“
Artistic Work
As an artist with roots in the avant-garde of the 1980s, Britta Lieberknecht has driven forward and helped shape cross-border dance performance in Germany. Continuously and independently of trends, she creates original and high-quality works that are characterised by both depth and humour. She presents stage works or works site-specifically in architecture and landscape. She dances herself in a large part of her work and works as a choreographer for her ensemble Britta Lieberknecht & Company. Since her beginnings, she has included musicians as physical performance partners and equal protagonists. Britta Lieberknecht always relates dance to an artistic or everyday medium that she consistently engages with and treats on an equal footing – from collision to fusion. Since 2012, this medium has predominantly been music.
With her dance ensemble Britta Lieberknecht & Company, she has developed her detailed choreographic approaches to early and new music in six stage works to date. With the help of musical collaborator Laurenz Gemmer, she has choreographed the Kunst des Staubsaugens for five dancers to compositions by J.S. Bach. After relating the music of Keith Jarrett and B.A. Zimmermann to each other through her choreography in Space for your Imagination, she was commissioned by the Festival for New Music Acht Brücken | Musik für Köln in collaboration with the ensemble Musikfabrik. With Vibes, she expanded the company’s musical focus in 2021 to include the topic of communication. Since then, she has been researching intuitive communication in improvised performances with visual artists and musicians. Among other things, in the Kollektiv PML, which she co-founded, and in the production Leise schäumt das Jetzt 2024, a collective improvisation by dancers and musicians. The trombonist Paul Hubweber has been a constant companion of the equal performative interaction between dance and music in Britta Lieberknecht’s work, introducing physical interaction and movement with his instrument early on with his open conception of music. From 1979-2012, she created the media for her dance explorations herself: Installations made of moving slide projectors, furniture, moving chipboard, a computerised sound installation under a dance floor made of floor mats, walk-in sculptures made of TV sets, installations made of light bulbs and fluorescent tubes, colour pigments, sculptures made of video monitors, films. During this period, she developed many works with the physical actor Reinhard Gerum as a permanent artistic partner under the label Britta Lieberknecht & Technicians. The boundary-pushing performances of this team were radical and characterised by maximum physical exertion. These included actions such as the tearing of clothing as a movement process or the smashing of a chair to the point of exhaustion or, from a musical perspective, with the theme of destruction as creation. However, she also shows the fusion of dance with her media, for example a moving sculpture of a dancer connected to a chair by underwear, or a ritualised interaction in Fluss TV. Britta has developed her dance-like performative form of action paintings from drawing. A three-year study of American postmodern dance and visual arts in NYC was groundbreaking for her artistic development, as was her membership of the multimedia dance ensemble PLAN K, led by Frédéric Flamand, in Brussels. Her feminist position is inherent in her work, both provocative and self-evidently inclusive.
Presentation
including the cultural programme of documenta IX, Festival X94 Akademie der Künste Berlin, Tanzfabrik Berlin, Int. Tanztage Potsdam, Int. Theaterfestival Freiburg, Theaterzwang NRW, Tanzhaus NRW, Staatstheater Kassel, Skulpturenmuseum Glaskasten Marl, Unikum Klagenfurt (A), Aargauisches Kunsthaus Aarau, VIPER Luzern (CH), Charleroi Danse, Le Botanique Brussels (B), Opéra de Lille (F), The Place Theatre London, Phoenix Arts Space Bristol (GB), Stadttheater Freiburg, Video Dansa Barcelona, Dies de Dansa Barcelona (ESP), Acht Brücken | Musik für Köln, SPARK – Festival für aktuelles Musiktheater Cologne etc.
Exhibitions at the Skulpturenmuseum Glaskasten Marl, Brotfabrik Bonn, Pact Zollverein Essen, Städtische Galerie Neuss.
List of works
1979
- Gold
Performance/Film on Piazza San Marco (Venice)Performance: Britta Lieberknecht
Camera work: Mathias Schwerbrock
1980
- Futourism
Street performance (Rome)
Performance duo with painter and photographer Doris Frohnapfel (Rome)
1981
- Twist dance
SoloHanno Braun: saxophone (Tanzfabrik Berlin)
1982
- Red and Blue – Own Speed
Filming of Monika Vogel’s revolving dance
in the architecture of the TU Berlin by Hans Scharoun
1984
- Dancing on the woodside
Dance performance (NYC)
Duo with Lauri Nagel
1985
- Will cow be on time?
Dance performance (NYC)
Duo with Christine Cole
1986
- Aquarium: Aquarium, Marbles, Las Vegas, Idylle
Solo evening (Tour D, CH) - Movement – Voice – Light
Performance at Aargauische Kunsthaus Aarau (CH)Movement/Voice: Britta Lieberknecht, Marianne Schuppe
Light: Gere Widmer - Avoid falling in the house
Performance (Bern)Movement/Action/Voice/Music: Britta Lieberknecht, Marianne Schuppe, Mich Gerber, Gere Widmer
1987
- Flash (20 min)
Solo dance performance with light installation (Bremen) - Red and Green
Performance (Breminale)Movement: Britta Lieberknecht
Voice and movement: Marianne Schuppe
1988
- Autoerotics (15 min)
Outdoor dance performance with car wreck and live music, installation (Breminale)
Trio - Dinosaur
Solo dance with slide projection (Solothurn, CH)Slides: Max Hudson - Dino – Disco
Solo dance performance in the discomoving slide projection: Willy Daum (Bremen)
Slides: Max Hudson
1989
- Dinosaur, Britta Lieberknecht & Technicians
Solo dance with moving slide projectionProjection/Animation: Birgit Freitag, Reinhard Gerum, Horst Mühlberger
Slides: Max Hudson
1991
- Bombsville
Tanztheater (Tour D, CH)Britta Lieberknecht and Reinhard Gerum
1992
- Black and White
Performance (Tour D, B, F, GB)Britta Lieberknecht and Reinhard Gerum - Gut Holz
Dance action (documenta IX supporting program)Britta Lieberknecht and Reinhard Gerum
1993
- Kunstrasen
Composition for noisy set and dance action
(Cologne, Bremen)Stage design/choreography: Britta Lieberknecht
Sound composition: Willy Daum
Dance action: Britta Lieberknecht, Veronique Rousseau, Reinhard Gerum, Willy Daum
1994
- River TV (3 hrs)
Dance installation on the banks of the Rhine (Cologne, Bonn)Britta Lieberknecht and Reinhard Gerum - Kunstrasen
Composition for noisy stage design and dance action (Cologne, Nuremberg, Essen)second version with dancer Frauke Havemann
1995
- Muybridge Tänze
Solo dance evening with video film (Cologne, Krefeld)Film: Mathias Schwerbrock
Actress: Britta Lieberknecht - Irxprock’s Horizon
Dance solo - Barbie Hypnosis
Dance solo to video projectionCamera: Gerrit Busmann
Actor: Reinhard Gerum
1996
- Push the trombonist
Dance-Music-Light-Performance (Cologne)Dance: Britta Lieberknecht
Trombone/Performance: Paul Hubweber
Light-Installation/Performance: Michael Vorfeld - Klagenfurt TV (3 hrs)
Outdoor dance performance with walk-in TV sculpture (Unikum, AU)Britta Lieberknecht and Reinhard Gerum
1997
- Track TV (20 min)
Outdoor dance performance with walk-on TV sculpture on the tracks of the Zeche Zollverein, EssenBritta Lieberknecht and Reinhard Gerum - Kalk TV (20 min)
Dance performance with walk-on TV installation in the Kalk hall of the Museum Ludwig, CologneBritta Lieberknecht and Reinhard Gerum
1998
- Sibelius, ma non troppo (5 min)
Dance performance with light board (TANZhautnah Köln)Choreography: Britta Lieberknecht
Dance: Reinhard Gerum, Britta Lieberknecht, Dyane Neiman
Music: Sybelius Symphony No. 1
1999-2000
- Desert Project Australia (AUS)
seven films and actions in the Australian desertBritta Lieberknecht and Reinhard Gerum
2001
- Sur place
Dance and music performance series (Cologne)Dance: Britta Lieberknecht
Trombone/Performance: Paul Hubweber - Kanga-fucking-roo
Dance installation with video sculpture (Cologne, Skulpturenmuseum Marl exhibition Grenzgänge)Installation, films: Britta Lieberknecht
Dance performance: Britta Lieberknecht, Reinhard Gerum
Violin: Harald Kimmig
nominated for the Cologne Dance Theater Award - Dance in Blue (15 min)
Solo performance
Excerpt from Kanga-fucking-roo (Cologne)
2002
- Cologne Project
Dance and music performance (Cologne, Bonn, Berlin)Concept/Choreography: Britta Lieberknecht
Dance: Britta Lieberknecht, Ingo Reulecke
Trombone/Performance: Paul Hubweber
Cello/Performance: Sebastian Hilken
2003
- Ohrsichtig
Site-specific dance and music performance
three versions: Galerie R. Haferkamp Köln, St. Petri Dortmund, Cuba-Cultur MünsterDance: Britta LieberknechtTrombone/Performance: Paul HubweberLighting: Reinhard Gerum Petri Dortmund, Cuba-Cultur MünsterDance: Britta Lieberknecht
Trombone/Performance: Paul Hubweber
Lighting: Reinhard Gerum
2004
- 120 works of painting/graphics on the inner connection between painting and movement, numbered
- Exhibition at the Brotfabrik, Bonn
Drawings for the dance production Procession by Nik Haffner and Thomas Mc Manus, Commerce Company
2005
- Exhibition at Pact Zollverein, Essen
Drawings for the dance production Baud by Rodolpho Leoni
2006
- Loading (15 min)
Dance solo to live drums (Cologne)Drums: Josef Kirschgen - Shaking Vibrato (30 min)
Solo dance performance on a table (Cologne, Wuppertal)Live music/performance: Christoph Hillmannnominated for the Cologne Dance Theater Award
- Karijini Song (30 min)
Solo dance with video projection (Festival TANZhautnah)
Dance performance about a desert landscape of AustraliaFilm/Dance/Storytelling: Britta Lieberknecht
2007
- Funky Waltz (60 min)
Dance and live music (Cologne, Bonn, Bergisch Gadbach)Choreography: Britta Lieberknecht
Dance: Nina Patricia Hänel, Britta Lieberknecht
Composition/Live music: Christoph Hillmann
Light design: Marco Wehrspann - Composition for violin (5 min)
Solo dance and live musicViolin: Toshiko Takada
Composition: Shin-Ichiro Ikebe - FIS (8 min)
Improvisational dance and music performance series, 22 performancesViolin/Performance: Toshiko Takada (Roomservice by Gregor Weber, Cologne)
2008
- Geigenänze (30 min)
Site-specific dance and music performance; (Geysirsprünge III, Galerie im Fronhof, Leutesdorf)Violin/Performance: Toshiko Takada
2009
- Touching – Tearing
Dance performance (Cologne, Bonn, Essen, Heidelberg)Choreography/Installation: Britta Lieberknecht
Dance: I-Fen Lin, Olaf ReineckeCologne Dance Theater Award
2009
- Crash (20 min)
Outdoor dance performance with I-Fen Lin and Olaf Reinicke (Barcelona)
Co-production with Goethe Institut Barcelona and Dies de Dansa BarcelonaChoreography: Britta Lieberknecht
Dance: I-Fen-Lin, Olaf Reinecke
2009
- Zerreißen (15 min)
Performance (Cologne, Berlin, Barcelona)
Co-production with the Goethe Institut Barcelona / Dies de Dansa Barcelona)Britta Lieberknecht and Reinhard Gerum - Tango en bois (15 min)
Dance and music performance for the exhibition of Brele Scholz (Aula Carolina Aachen)Dance: Britta Lieberknecht
Trombone/Performance: Paul Hubweber
2010
- Crash (20 min)
New version outdoor dance performance (Cologne, Paderborn)Britta Lieberknecht and Reinhard Gerum
2011
- Passacaglia (13 min)
Solo dance performance with live music (LVR Museum Engelskirchen)Violin/Performance: Toshiko Takada
Music: Franz Biber
2012
- Bach Projekt – researching the flow
Dance performance (ZZT Köln)Choreography: Britta Lieberknecht
Dance: Henar Fuentetaja, Claire Lavernhe, Britta Lieberknecht, Photini Meletiadis, Miguel Tornero
Musical advisor/performance: Laurenz Gemmer
2013
- The Art of Vacuuming (60 min)
Dance Performance (Cologne, Bergisch Gladbach)Concept/Choreography: Britta Lieberknecht
Choreographic coaching: David Hernandez
Dance: Henar Fuentetaja, Claire Lavernhe, Colas Lucot, Photini Meletiadis, Miguel Tornero
Musical collaborator/composition for vacuum cleaner installation: Laurenz Gemmer
Music: J. S. Bach
2014
- Shimmering Blue
Dance performance to Baroque music (Cologne, Bergisch Gladbach)Choreography: Britta Lieberknecht
Dance: Neus Barcons Roca, Kanako Minami, Paraskevi Terzi, Anaïs Van Eycken
Music: J. S. Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Henry Purcell - Crisis Stool
Dance performance to the installation by Reni Scholz (Künstlerforum Bonn)
2016
- Space for your Imagination
Dance performance to the music of Keith Jarret and B.A. Zimmermann (Cologne, Bergisch Gladbach)Choreography: Britta Lieberknecht
Dance: Neus Barcons Roca, Kanako Minami, Sophia Ndaba, Paraskevi Terzi, Anaïs Van Eycken, Petra Van Gompel - Städtische Galerie Neuss Performance Lounge Von SinnenTransformation Tanzsolo (10 min)
Drawings
2017
- Dance performance and exhibition
Project of the Galerie im Wiesengrund (Studio tour Cologne, Bergisch Gladbach)- Stumbling (10 min)
Solo dance performance
Drawings from the Australia series - Missing Lola
Solo dance performance for the exhibition by Reni Scholz - Be quiet or you’ll wake the little one
Solo dance performance to the exhibition by Jutta Dunkel
- Stumbling (10 min)
2018
- Moment Shift
Dance Action Painting (Performance evening at Off-Raum Betonbox, Düsseldorf)
Solo Performance and Performance Duo with Jasper Llewellyn - Dog and Cat
Dance and Music Performance (Open Studio Brele Scholz, Aachen)Dance/Voice: Britta Lieberknecht
Trombone/Performance: Paul Hubweber - Commissioned works of the festival Eight Bridges | Music for Cologne
Collaboration with Ensemble Musikfabrik and the HfMT- Sonata for Violin Solo
Dance Performance to Live MusicChoreography: Britta Lieberknecht
Dance: Neus Barcons Roca
Violin: Hannah Weirich
Composition: B.A. Zimmermann - Sonata for Viola Solo …to the Song of an Angel
Dance Performance to Live MusicChoreography: Britta Lieberknecht
Dance: Barbara Fuchs
Viola: Matthias Buchholz
Composition: B. A. Zimmermann
- Sonata for Violin Solo
2019
- Local dance and music performance
at Johanniskirche Köln BrückDance/Singing: Britta Lieberknecht
Vocals/Cello/Performance: Marei Seuthe
2020
- Performance Collective PML
regular, weekly public performances in parks in Cologne during Corona 2020/2021
2021
- Motaphysis
Site-specific dance and music performance at the Motte Kippekausen (Kultursommer Bergisch Gladbach)Dance: Britta Lieberknecht
Vocals/Cello/Performance: Marei Seuthe - Vibes
Dance performance between the words (Cologne, Bergisch Gladbach)Artistic direction: Britta Lieberknecht
Dance: Clara Thierry, Dario Wilmington, Jacob Gómez Ruiz, Maria Flores Mujica, Neus Barcons Roca
Music performance: Gerno Bogumil
2022
- Canadagans (14 min)
Soloperformance (Kultursommer Bergisch Gladbach)
Project of the Galerie im Wiesengrund
2023
- à table (15 min)
Dance performance (exhibition LICHT! des AdK Bergisch Gladbach)Christiane Budden and Britta Lieberknecht
Light: Britta Lieberknecht
2024
- Quietly foams the Now #1
Improvised dance and music performance series (Cologne)Dance: Britta Lieberknecht, Lilo Stahl
Violin/Performance: Harald Kimmig
Accordion/Performance: Eva Zöllner
Light improvisation: Garlef Keßler
2025
- Shifting Borders
Installation with Audience Interaction (Bergisch Gladbach)
Dance: Christiane Budden, Erika Winkler, Britta Lieberknecht
Cello, Vocals: Marei Seuthe - Quietly foams the Now #2
Improvised dance and music performance series (Cologne)Dance: Neus Barcons Roca, Britta Lieberknecht
Violin/Performance: Hannah Weirich
Accordion/Performance: Eva Zöllner
Light improvisation: Garlef Keßler
Prices
2009
- Cologne Dance Theatre Award for Touch and Tear
- Cologne Children’s and Youth Theatre Award with theater monteure as choreographer
2020
- with Reni Scholz Award Winner of the Tagore International Film Festival, Collaboration
Ensembles
1990/91
Ensemble PLAN K
Conductor Frédéric Flamand, Brussels (B, F, ES, IT):
La Chute d’Icare
Conductor: Frédéric Flamand
Stage design: Fabrizio Plessi
Music: Michael Nyman
2005
Execution Ground
by André Jolles Nude Ants, Cologne
2011
X-motion Dance performance
Action days 25 years Chernobyl (Citykirche Mönchengladbach)
Conductor: Frieder Mann
2014
Dance performance duo with Frieder Mann
Couples’ Courage, Paul-Gerhardt-Kirche, Cologne
2017/18
FLIPBOOK II + IV
Direction: Susanne Helmes
Site-specific performances on Mallorca, including 2017 performance at the Museum Fundacio Pilar y Joan Miró, Palma de Mallorca
2018
ongoing Performances with PAErsche Aktionslabor, Platform for Performance Art Cologne, now PAE Aktionslabor
2023
à table
Dance performance duo with Christiane Budden
Dramaturge
2012
Winterlandschaft mit Nescafé #2
Ilona Paszthy IP dance
2018
Schirmgespräche III – just a piece of paper
Performance project with refugees, Susanne Helmes
2024
lautLOS absence#5 – deconstruction of memory
IP-Tanz
Dramaturge and assistent director
Young Audiences
Collaboration as choreographer, director and performer with the many times award winning theater group for young audiences theater monteure, famous for its innovative performances in this field:
2007
blaues gold
by Andrea Lucas
Choreography and dance: Andrea Lucas and Britta Lieberknecht
2009
wo der pfeffer wächst
Directed by: theatre monteure
Choreography: Britta Lieberknecht
Cologne Children’s and Youth Theatre Award
2010
hier bin ich
Interdisciplinary and interactive performance in schools
Directed by: Joachim von der Heiden
federfein und kratzebein
Co-direction/choreography for Andrea Lucas and Thomas Marey
2011
schattenriss
Dance theatre for young people
Directed by: Andrea Lucas
Co-directed and choreographed by: Britta Lieberknecht
2012
abend sonne – morgen mond
Choreography for Andrea Lucas and Thomas Marey
2015
mit dir zusammen
by Andrea Lucas
Directed by: Britta Lieberknecht
2020
wenn das cello katze spielt
Direction/Choreography: Karoline von Lüdinghausen, Britta Lieberknecht
2022
Ich denke sowieso mit dem Knie
Interdisciplinary and interactive performance in schools
Directed by: Joachim von der Heiden