Jecko Siompo

With his animal pop, Papua New Guinea choreographer Jecko Siompo finds his own answer to the romantic view of his colonised country. In his choreography he confronts the principle forms of Papua culture, which are often stereotyped as primitive, mixing both tribal dance and western, contemporary break-dance vocabulary. As a critical commentary of western-dominated science hierarchies he develops crazy dance theses, concerning, for example, the heritage of hip hop (in WE CAME FROM THE EAST, performed most recently at Kampnagel at the 2011 LIVE ART FESTIVAL), which simultaneously breaks down the boundaries between high culture and popular culture and also makes his pieces accessible to a wide audience. Jecko Siompo understands choreography as a connecting link between humans, space and ritual. IN FRONT OF PAPUA contrasts allegorical situations on the edge of the jungle with barren city parks in which young people meet up with each other.