KOPLA BUNZ

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY ART COMPANY FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES

KOPLA BUNZ ("roly-poly") is a platform for all kinds of free-rolling interdisciplinary approaches that blend between music, dance, opera, theater & visual arts. The company is made up of artists and educators who imagine educational projects and artistic performances for young audiences.

KOPLA BUNZ is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Great Duchy of Luxembourg. The company  is a member of ASSITEJ Luxembourg that federates theatres, organisations, individuals throughout Luxembourg who make theatre for children. ASSITEJ is dedicated to the artistic, cultural and educational rights of children & promotes performing art for youth.

© Yves Maurer

© Yves Maurer

KNUET toddlers

The first years of toddlers having been marked by a lack of social learning during the pandemic. It is more than necessary to allow them to recreate ties. Growing up is like learning to bond: kids learn to tie your shoelaces, like a young ship's boy learns sailor's knots. We become attached to those around us, before emancipating ourselves. The navel, at the center of the body and at the heart of life, symbolizes all the ties that have been broken but also reminds us, at every moment, of what connects us.

As part of the KNUET project, toddlers let themselves be carried away by three artists in caves, tunnels, hammocks and cradles... We want toddlers to discover interactive installations that invite them to linger, marvel, and to discover together a fascinating world made of a multitude of knots and braids. We are delighted to be able to allow toddlers to actively participate in their very first artistic performance by developing their curiosity, their attention and their interaction, while sharing with each artist a very special moment full of sweetness and discoveries.

In view of these positive experiences, we have seen 200 children and their 40 educators in a series of 21 ateliers in daycare centers (Crèches de la Ville de Luxembourg) as well as 465 children — and their parents — in a series of 31 ateliers in artistic venues (Rotondes, CAPE, Cube 521...), who benefited from a tailor-made artistic awakening project designed by qualified and experienced artist-pedagogues.

© Bohumil Kostohryz

”PERFORMING FOR KNUET WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY EXCHANGE RESIDENCY.
SUCH KIND OF EXPERIENCE HAS THE CAPACITY TO INSPIRE A VOCATION.”

- Katie Hitchcock

During her youth exchange residency, the Icelandic-based dancer and choreographer Katie Hitchcock took part to a performance of KNUET at Cube 521, Marnach (LU).

© Giovanni Zazzera

UNTIL YOU FALL children

UNTIL YOU FALL is a choreographic journey that explores the theme of the fall in the great diversity of its acceptances, whether physical, emotional, philosophical, social... We are all daily confronted with the fall, whether bodily or more interior. In the fear of falling, we often deny the fact that error can exist, forgetting its essential role in our personal development. Falling in love, falling ill, falling from above or in the trap, falling from the clouds or from sleep, falling in the dark or on your head, falling into the water or in the field of honor... Behind the multiplicity of these formulas idiomatic, a multitude of situations that punctuate and connect our lives.

Children must learn, for each of their first steps, to welcome the imbalance. Like the tightrope walker, he agrees to come out of a state of comfort and lose his balance to move forward, one stride after another, and to grow in the face of life's obstacles. Inseparable from our human condition, the experience of falling is as essential as it is inevitable in a child's learning. The choreographic ateliers are aimed to develop the spirit of initiative and resilience of the participants: to confront to the vertigo, to the absurd — to discover what leads us to fall, and find the resilience to get up, and start all over again. Around 770 pupils, teachers and parents have benefited from the project so far.

Laughter is an essential element in the development of the child. The pandemic having greatly impacted this process, it is necessary to rediscover laughter, like a bridge after a long period of isolation, a release from the accumulated frustrations, an outlet to forget the worries of everyday life. By going directly to meet the children on board a mobile stage, schools and public spaces are transformed into interactive performances.

Collective thinking and collaborative action form the basis of lifelong learning. Students are encouraged to transfer the knowledge and skills acquired during a learning process into new areas, to meet the demands of school, work and everyday life. During the workshops, young people explore the perception of corporeality as a theatrical element and their relationship with their own body. Group play allows to develop the ability to communicate non-verbally, to work on your body language, proprioception, posture and presence, while gaining confidence in your spirit of initiative in a playful way.

With the series of workshops for 8 classes — 74 children and 8 teachers — and the 27 participative shows — 1620 children et 108 teachers — so far, the project has been visiting the Luxembourgish territory and its local youth to a great extent. In the meantime, the company is working on new shows to display and KopLaachBus will be back on the road next summer!

KOPLAACHBUS teenagers

KOPLABO research residencies

KopLabo residencies welcome artists from diverse backgrounds and artistic practices to come together to collaborate, experiment, and find new ways to perform and improvise. Artists in residency focus on the ideation of new cultural and educational projects for young audiences. The international guests are working and living in an exceptional setting, in lush greenery along the Alzette, a space of creativity away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

URBAN ECOLOGY

Hamm is a rural-looking district of the capital — formerly a textile industrial site, it has now regained its bucolic character, placed in a green setting between the bed of the Alzette and the cliffs of Luxembourg. The youth exchange artist in residency Maxime Hego dedicated two weeks to camouflage the building within its natural landscape. With urban art out of the streets, at the service of ecology, the artist concealed a human construction in the surrounding environment.

THE WHISPER OF PLANTS

In a collaborative exploration guided by the expertise of esteemed German puppeteer Frank Söhnle, Kopla Bunz artists engaged in a transformative workshop last February. Under Söhnle's direction, the artists delved into the world of plants and vegetables, using cloth and felt to meticulously craft intricate renditions that captured the essence of nature's beauty. This unique collaboration resulted in a harmonious fusion of textures, colors, and forms that breathed life into their creations.

During the workshop, the artists skillfully shaped cloth and felt into an array of leaves, stems, and blossoms, discovering an unexpected quality – the ability to evoke the "whispering of the plants." This subtle resonance, akin to an elusive language understood by perceptive hearts, became a wellspring of inspiration for the development of a forthcoming theatrical performance.

With Söhnle's guidance, the Kopla Bunz artists embarked on a journey to translate their workshop insights into a captivating play. The result is an artistic composition that weaves together puppetry, melody, and storytelling, promising to transport young audiences to a realm where the murmurs of plants and vegetables come to life. Every stitch, movement, and musical note coalesce into an immersive experience designed to leave a lasting impact on spectators.

The culmination of this artistic endeavor is slated for january 2024 in the Rotondes Luxembourg, with the actual performance awaiting its unveiling. Informed by Söhnle's mentorship and enriched by the subtle whispers of the natural world, it hopefully will celebrate the innate beauty of the botanical realm.

THE BRICKLING AND THE BORDERLING

Within the context of a theatrical research project centered on the symbolic significance of bricks and walls, the theories of Emma Goldman and Mikhail Bakunin contribute thought-provoking insights that enrich the discourse. Emma Goldman, a prominent advocate of anarchism and feminism, championed the liberation of individuals from oppressive structures. Her theories intersect with the interpretation that bricks and walls, often utilized as metaphors for societal constraints, symbolize the suppressive forces inhibiting human freedom. Goldman's emphasis on dismantling these barriers provides a thematic foundation for exploring the process of breaking down physical and metaphorical walls in a theatrical context.

Similarly, Mikhail Bakunin, a renowned philosopher within the realm of anarchism, echoed a comparable sentiment, advocating for the overthrow of hierarchical institutions. In the exploration of bricks and walls, Bakunin's theories highlight the transformative potential of collective action. He perceived walls as emblematic of the state and its apparatus, serving as representations of divisions and inequalities. In the theatrical research, Bakunin's ideas facilitate a dynamic examination of walls as manifestations of systemic injustices, while bricks symbolize the capacity for collective rebellion and reformation.

This extensive exploration of anarchist theories, culminating from the ideologies of Goldman and Bakunin, lays the conceptual groundwork for the development of a unique play targeted at children from the age of 4 and onward. Through the integration of these theories, the theatrical research aims to craft a narrative that introduces young audiences to the concepts of freedom, autonomy, and collective empowerment. The play will ingeniously employ the symbolic representation of bricks and walls, catering to the understanding and engagement of young minds, while fostering an imaginative and thought-provoking experience. This convergence of perspectives ultimately results in a play that inspires reflection, dialogue, and the exploration of ideas from a tender age.