LA POLA – Ontologies of Women, Movement and Decoloniality

Dance is a vibrant language that preserves collective memory and serves as a space of resistance. At the same time, the stories that bodies tell through dance have often been erased or reinterpreted over time. Especially in Latin America, the portrayal of women in dance has been shaped by colonial and patriarchal structures, which to this day limit their self-determination and visibility.Inspired by the Colombian resistance fighter and national heroine Policarpa Salavarrieta (La Pola), XXTanzTheater devotes itself in a transcultural dialogue to the theme of colonialism and its lasting effects. The eponymous play LA POLA reflects on the history of women in the context of colonial power relations from an artistic and gender-specific perspective.Policarpa Salavarrieta was born around Protected content Guaduas, near Bogotá, and was arrested in the autumn of Protected content the newly established "Consejo Permanente de Guerra" ("Permanent War Council")sentenced to death. She is still considered in Colombia as a symbol of the struggle against the Spanish reconquest of New Granada. Her story serves as a starting point to make visible the strength and courage of strong women in different cultures. The performative installation LA POLA takes us through cultures and tells stories of women in choreographic images. Traditional Colombian dances meet contemporary dance to reflect on questions of identity, self-determination, the body, and women's knowledge.