Organisation

Unter Wasser fliegen is an international project focusing on international exchange of artists, mainly in performing arts. Founded in October 1989, meanwhile it is officially registered as a non profit association (establishment of the association 22.05.1994). The project focuses on three subjects: support and promotion of the performing arts, promotion of women artists in contemporary theatre and the organisation of international meetings and exchanges. Apart from its overall cultural interaction, the project creates opportunities for the artists to exchange experience, on a theoretical as well as on a practical level; to reflect on their professional processes and to meet and work together.

Until now the project has organised six international meetings (1989/1991/1993/1995/1997/2000) with different focuses, each divided into three sections (encounter, exchange and co-operation among the women artists, concentrated one-week seminars and workshop meetings, festivals open to the public, lasting several days) as well as an International Academy offering a continuous programme of seminars and professional courses along with intermittent guest performances and concerts by visiting companies and artists.
It is within this framework that various productions were staged: the Butoh dance performances entitled „WIR“ (1993) and „WIR 2“ (1995) as well as „Voix d’ailleurs“ (1994), an a capella concert with a programme of polyphonic songs from the Mediterranean area, from Eastern Europe and from the Middle East and the musical „How the Moon Got into the Sky“ (1998) and the Hip-Hop Musical “Stress” (2002). (Photo, video, press documentation and an audio cassette are available on request.)

The projects of Unter Wasser Fliegen are funded by:
Kommission der Europäischen Gemeinschaft,
Land Nordrhein Westfalen,
Auswärtiges Amt,
Stadt Wuppertal,
NRW Kultur Sekreteriat Wuppertal,
Entimon Fonds der Bundesrepublik Deutschland,
Fonds Darstellende Künste,
Heinrich Böll Stiftung,
British Council,
Französische Botschaft,
Kolumbianische Botschaft,
Initiative für Demokratie und Toleranz,
Bündnis 90 die Grünen,
WDR 3,
Hessischer Rundfunk,
Stadtsparkasse Wuppertal.