Two Giraffes Dance Tango: Bremen Reads the Play Anew

In 2016, the steptext dance project presented “Two Giraffes Dance Tango, Bremen Steps” in co-production with Theater Bremen. The production reconstructed parts of Gerhard Bohner’s “Two Giraffes Dance Tango” and combined them with new choreography by Helge Letonja. Two words are key to understanding it: parts and new. They make clear that the entire earlier work was not simply staged again.

The reconstructed parts drew on an existing choreographic work. Letonja’s choreography, by contrast, added a contribution of its own. Both were part of the co-production, but had different starting points. The artistic connection therefore involved more than making older movements performable again. New material entered into a relationship with them.

For you in Bremen, this is a concrete example of how dance history can become the subject of a later production. A collaboration between an independent company and a theater made it possible to connect a historical reference with new work. The page about the Schwankhalle as a production venue for dance explains the institutional setting for independent dance work. For “Bremen Steps”, however, the focus remains on the relationship between the two choreographic contributions.

Why is reconstruction in dance a demanding task? Imagine a simple sequence: One person raises their arm, turns their upper body and pauses. The order can be noted briefly. But that still doesn't tell you whether the arm feels heavy or light, whether the turn starts suddenly or how long the pause lasts. These differences change the impression made by the same movement.

This example doesn't describe a scene from “Two Giraffes Dance Tango.” It shows why choreographic material can't be reduced to a list of steps. Direction of gaze, distance and the relationship to other bodies are also part of the performance. A reconstruction must rediscover these relationships, insofar as the surviving traces make them accessible.

For comparison: A practice version of a well-known film scene can deliberately simplify movements so you can practice them. Reconstruction has a different goal: It seeks to understand the context of the choreographic decisions made in the past. So outward similarity alone doesn't explain the quality of a reconstruction. A correctly placed foot can create a different effect when paired with different body tension.

A new choreography alongside reconstructed sections creates a different context than a reconstruction based exclusively on historical material. This can be explained through a common audience experience: You see a short, restrained movement. If a sweeping movement follows, the first may seem particularly subdued. If another small movement follows, the same passage may feel like part of an ongoing concentration. The context changes what you perceive.

For “Bremer Schritte,” this means you should think of Bohner’s reconstructed sections and Letonja’s new choreography as distinct contributions within a shared production. Their connection can open up your perspective on the older material without reducing the new work to a mere supplement. Conversely, the historical material does not automatically become arbitrary just because a later choreography is added.

You don’t need to decipher a definitive message. It’s more helpful to distinguish between observation and attribution: A passage feels calm or tense to you, but that doesn’t tell you who choreographed it. The practical benefit of this perspective is that it helps you separate artistic origins from present-day impressions. This leaves room for the older work and for the new contribution to speak for itself.