Dance music and politics: The return of the Lauchhammer Files in Berlin!

Dance music and politics: The return of the Lauchhammer Files in Berlin!

A fascinating theater event is currently taking place in the heart of Berlin, which looks back on the first dance music conference in the GDR 66 years ago. With its new staging "Lauchhammer Files", the research theater group Lunatiks brings the political climate of the time to the stage. As we learn from Radio Drei , the influence of music on the political awareness of the citizens is discussed.

The "1st dance music conference Lauchhammer" was launched in 1959 to develop entertainment music that met the ideals of socialism. This conference was initiated by Walther Ulbricht and should ensure that the influence of western music on the population of the GDR can be checked. In order to illustrate the relevance of the events at that time, the team around the lunatics evaluated the files of this conference in the archive of the Akademie der Künste Berlin, which forms the basis of its performance.

political music revue with wink

The evening becomes more than just a nostalgic review. The staging invites the audience to actively participate - votes and a program give the impression of being part of the original conference. Five actors: inside slip into the roles of hit lexter: inside, composers and cultural officials and offer an oversubscribed, parodist representation of the situation in the scene at that time; as if they would point out the absurdities of the system with a wink.

A central part of the conference was the introduction of the new dance style "Lipsi", which was designed as a socialist counterpart to the Rock’n’Roll. In a mixture of two waltz clocks and a 6/4 cycle, it should enable the GDR citizen: inside, to practice a new, "socialist" dance. But the evening not only stops at the celebration of the Lipsi, but also offers critical reflections on the challenges associated with the state regulation of art.

from art censorship to creative freedom

The second half of the performance takes a look over the period from 1959 to the turn of 1989. Here the expatriation of Wolf Biermann and the bans of the band Pankow are discussed - all moments that make it clear how strong art and music suffered from state control. The lunatics urgently questions whether art and music can be planned and show that true creativity cannot be prescribed. The audience is asked to think about the role of music in society and to become aware of the political dimension of their sounds.

"Lauchhammer Files" not only inspires with his humorous performance, but also stimulates thinking. A staging that seems important in today's world - because the influence of culture on political awareness is still highly topical. You could say that there is something, and that's not just music!

For interested and curious, visiting the theater at the TD Berlin is undoubtedly worthwhile, so reports RBB24 . Certainly an exciting experience in the Berlin cultural scene!