Rituals of tenderness *6: friendship & forgiveness vol. 2
Tanzhaus Zürich, 11.7.2025, 19h - 20.30h
Jessica Huber & Cosima Grand
Friendship gives us security - and forgiveness might give us comfort. Inspired by a chapter from Hartmut Rosa's book Resonance and by her work with Cosima Grand, Jessica Huber asked herself whether we can acquire trust and forgiveness through movement sequences and make the process more fluid, more permeable or more familiar - whether we can practise opening, closing, protecting and holding.
Together with Jessica and Cosima, we will practise folding, holding, opening, stretching/pulling, covering and uncovering our own and other bodies, first individually and then in groups of two and threes. In the second part there will be physical contact - with others and objects.
Bring comfortable clothes!
Picture: Bild (Still: Video-work "wiegen-liegen vol 2" von Cosima Grand & Jessica Huber), Foto: Michelle Ettlin
* Rituals of tenderness is the title of a multi-year research project by Jessica Huber. It is also the title of a series of events at Tanzhaus Zürich, which consists of a mixture of gatherings, body practices, rituals, sense-ABILITY trainings and small sharings. Jessica Huber says: ‘When I had already formulated the first ideas for the rituals of tenderness research, Olga Tokarczuk spoke about tenderness in her acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize for Literature. The quote below is an extract from it. She found words for why tenderness is so powerful for me and what I am essentially talking about when I write about tenderness: connection or connectedness, careful attention, radical sensing and perhaps a form of resonance. But I also believe that this care-ful look at something other than our self that she writes about can also be directed at ourselves. Tenderness is the most modest form of love. It is the kind of love that does not appear in the scriptures or the gospels, no one swears by it, no one cites it. It has no special emblems or symbols, nor does it lead to crime, or prompt envy. It appears wherever we take a close and CARE-ful look at another being, at something that is not our “self“. The rituals of tenderness are aimed at all people who value shared experiences, being connected in times of division and moments of deep attention.
Rituals of tenderness *5: Hummingbirds
Tuesday 24.6.2025 / 19h - max 21h Tanzhaus Zürich
Humming is a widespread calming practice that many of us know from childhood. Sometimes, humming simply serves as a foundation for warming up the body or the voice — to then grow bigger or louder. In Hummingbirds, Michelle and Jessica share various body and humming practices to bring voice, body, and space into vibration — and into movement. The focus begins with attentive listening — with ears and hands — and later shifts to humming and vibrating together. The practice involves physical touch with others. Wear comfortable clothing!
Picture: mélia roger, Protagonists: a burnt piece of wood, Jess' hand
www.tanzhaus-zuerich.ch
Rituals of tenderness *3: Friendship & forgiveness
20.03.2025, Tanzhaus Zürich 18h - 20h
Friendship gives us a sense of security or belonging - and forgiveness might gives us comfort. Inspired by a chapter from the book Resonance by Hartmut Rosa, Jessica asked herself whether we can acquire trust and forgiveness through movement sequences and make the process more fluid, more permeable or more familiar - whether we can practise opening, closing, covering and holding.
We will first work individually and then in groups on folding, holding, unfolding, stretching, covering our own and other bodies. The second part involves body contact. The practice can be done standing and sitting/lying down.
Bring comfortable clothes!
www.tanzhaus-zuerich.ch
Picture: drawings by Jessica Huber "soothing practice"
*
Rituals of tenderness is the title of a multi-year research project by Jessica Huber. It is also the title of a series of events at Tanzhaus Zürich, which consists of a mixture of gatherings, body practices, rituals, sense-ABILITY trainings and small sharings.
Jessica Huber says: ‘When I had already formulated the first ideas for the rituals of tenderness research, Olga Tokarczuk spoke about tenderness in her acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize for Literature. The quote below is an extract from it. She found words for why tenderness is so powerful for me and what I am essentially talking about when I write about tenderness: connection or connectedness, careful attention, radical sensing and perhaps a form of resonance. But I also believe that this care-ful look at something other than our self that she writes about can also be directed at ourselves.
Tenderness is the most modest form of love. It is the kind of love that does not appear in the scriptures or the gospels, no one swears by it, no one cites it. It has no special emblems or symbols, nor does it lead to crime, or prompt envy. It appears wherever we take a close and CARE-ful look at another being, at something that is not our “self“.
The rituals of tenderness are aimed at all people who value shared experiences, being connected in times of division and moments of deep attention.
Rituals of tenderness *4: Walk Geborgenheits-Orte I
Der Walk Geborgenheits-Orte I gibt erste Einblicke in eine fortlaufende Recherche: Jessica Huber fragt jeweils Menschen, sie an einen Ort in der Stadt Zürich mitzunehmen, an dem sie sich geborgen fühlen – und bittet sie, ihr mehr über diesen Ort und ihre Beziehung zu ihm zu erzählen. Jessica wünscht sich, dass daraus irgendwann eine Geborgenheits-Orte-Karte der Stadt Zürich entstehen kann.
Da das Wetter die nächsten Tage regnerisch sein wird, beginnen wir den Walk sitzend und liegend im Studio: Jessica teilt dort zuerst Ton-Aufnahmen und Geschichten, bevor wir dann zusammen einen kürzeren Spaziergang durch den Regen an einen der Geborgenheits-Orte machen werden.
Bringt trotzdem gute Schuhe und wetterfeste Kleidung mit!
Auf Deutsch und Schweizerdeutsch.
Zuhörer*innen können auch einfach den ersten Teil besuchen.
Rituals of tenderness *2: wiegen/liegen (rocking together)
Tanzhaus Zürich, 21.1.2025, 18h - 20h
Cosima Grand and Jessica Huber introduce a movement practice in rocking that forms the basis for their latest collaborative video work. The practice is a mix between Cosima's “rocking practice” and Jessica's “soothing practices”: in the session at Tanzhaus, we begin by rocking our own bodies and slowly introduce the rocking of other bodies. Over time, an interplay between the roles develops (between the carer and the care-taker): we rock and are rocked, we care and are cared for.
Bring comfortable clothes. The movement exercises do not require any previous knowledge. The movements are mainly performed sitting and/or lying on the floor (dance floor). The practice involves physical contact with others.
Picture: Grand/Ettlin/Huber: still from video work
* Rituals of tenderness is the title of a multi-year research project by Jessica Huber. It is also the title of a series of events at Tanzhaus Zürich, which consists of a mixture of gatherings, body practices, rituals, sense-ABILITY trainings and small sharings. Jessica Huber says: ‘When I had already formulated the first ideas for the rituals of tenderness research, Olga Tokarczuk spoke about tenderness in her acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize for Literature. The quote below is an extract from it. She found words for why tenderness is so powerful for me and what I am essentially talking about when I write about tenderness: connection or connectedness, careful attention, radical sensing and perhaps a form of resonance. But I also believe that this care-ful look at something other than our self that she writes about can also be directed at ourselves. Tenderness is the most modest form of love. It is the kind of love that does not appear in the scriptures or the gospels, no one swears by it, no one cites it. It has no special emblems or symbols, nor does it lead to crime, or prompt envy. It appears wherever we take a close and CARE-ful look at another being, at something that is not our “self“. The rituals of tenderness are aimed at all people who value shared experiences, being connected in times of division and moments of deep attention.
in collaboration with Cosima Grand
Je vous propose / Rituals of Tenderness / Live *2
We cordially invite you to join us at TANZHAUS ZÜRICH for the second Rituals of Tenderness LIVE in the frame of jevouspropose#18:
Sunday, 17 November, 5 pm (please note the new date!) Tanzhaus Zürich, Bühne 2, Nebengebäude Wasserwerkstrasse 129, 8037 Zürich
Cosima Grand and Jessica Huber will introduce you to the movement practice which created the base of their latest collaborative video work, currently exhibited at jevouspropose.
The practice is a crossover of Cosima Grand's rocking practice and Jessica Huber's soothing practice. At the session at Tanzhaus we will start by rocking our own body and will slowly introduce rocking other bodies too. Shifting between the rocker and the rocked, between the care taker and the cared for.
Bring comfortable clothes. The movement practice is mainly done sitting and/or lying on a dance floor. It also involves some physical touch (you can chose what kind of positions feel comfortable to you).
We look forward to welcoming you at Tanzhaus Zürich!
Je vous propose / Rituals of Tenderness / Opening
jevouspropose#18 Rituals of Tenderness Eugénie Rebetez vous propose Jessica Huber
Opening: Wednesday, 25 September, 6 – 8 pm
Introduction: 6.30 pm by Eugénie Rebetez and Jessica Huber
For jevouspropose#18, Eugénie Rebetez (performing artist and choreographer) invites the performance and dance artist Jessica Huber (Zurich).
Jessica Huber's artistic work glides back and forth between different performance worlds: while her early works were primarily choreographic in nature, her current projects vary in terms of their form and character. What Jessica Huber's works have in common, however, is the search for connection, a practice and aesthetic of sharing and exchange, and the lived desire for collaboration. Many of her works arise from a longing for spaces in which different voices and bodies can exist side by side and co-create together.
For jevouspropose, Jessica Huber presents newly developed elements and practices from her research titled Rituals of Tenderness (2020 - ongoing), including a video work created in collaboration with the dancer and choreographer Cosima Grand and the film maker Michelle Ettlin, both based in Zurich.
Picture: Jessica Huber, Protagonists: Noémi Parisi and a piece of driftwood after a heavy storm
Je vous propose / Rituals of Tenderness / LIVE *1
jevouspropose#18 Rituals of Tenderness LIVE Eugénie Rebetez vous propose Jessica Huber
Rituals of Tenderness LIVE 1 Tuesday, 29 October, 7 pm
We cordially invite you to join us this Tuesday, 29 October at jevouspropose for the first Rituals of Tenderness LIVE in the frame of jevouspropose#18. Please bring an object with you that you associate with the feeling of comforting or soothing or in German the word "Geborgenheit", which evokes a profound sense of safety, warmth, protection, ease and or care. It will be a simple "get-together" - a moment of sharing. With her work, the artist and choreographer Jessica Huber invites us to reimagine how we relate to one another, encouraging us to embrace vulnerability as a source of strength and recognize tenderness as a powerful force for building meaningful relationships. Her practice focuses on creating spaces of connection and reflection, emphasizing the transformative power of subtle, everyday acts of attention and care.
During the Live-encounters, Jessica Huber shares practices of or insights into the Rituals of Tenderness series. We look forward to welcoming you at 7 pm on Tuesday, 29 October 2024.
Premiere
Knowing What We Know...
Wissend, was wir wissen… / Knowing What We Know... NEW VALUES 2
by Phil Hayes & Jessica Huber
Here we are in a room full of strangers. Although not every anniversary deserves a celebration, it’s truly been a while since we’ve all been together again like this. Looking around the room, not everyone has made it this time and of course some things are difficult to talk about. BUT, knowing all this, how do we intend to go forward from here?
After the success of NEW VALUES 1 – Ein Wort in deinem Ohr / A Word in Your Ear with Dominic Oppliger, it's time for NEW VALUES 2 – a new short collaboration with Jessica Huber, this time in Atelier 056 at the Rote Fabrik.
Creation, Performance: Phil Hayes Creation, Performance: Jessica Huber Artistic Support: Manon Fantini Technical Support: Patrik Rimann Production: Lukas Piccolin
NEW VALUES ★ In the search for more spontaneity and with calls for added value ringing in their ears, Phil Hayes and First Cut Productions will explore and test new and spontaneous lo-fi performance ideas together with a series of new collaborative partners from March 2024. In co-production with Fabriktheater Rote Fabrik, all projects in this series will include a short research phase, followed by three weeks of collaborative work and three performances. With, among others, Phil Hayes, Dominic Oppliger, Jessica Huber and Kim Noble.
NEW VALUES ★ is a First Cut Productions co-production with the Fabriktheater Rote Fabrik. With the support of Stadt Zürich Kultur, Fachstelle Kultur Kanton Zürich and Ernst Göhner Stiftung
Atelier di creazione per lo Spazio Pubblico
8-13 May 2023 at La Lavanderia a Vapore, Collegno, Torino (I)
with Quim Bigas Bassart, Jessica Huber and Sara Leghissa
The Atelier offers a practical-theoretical research course to artists *interested* in exploring public space as a container and content of their own experimentation.
Divided into 3 subgroups, the participants will explore different poetic spaces, working in the Parco della Certosa area with choreographer Quim Bigas Bassart, in meeting and aggregation spaces with choreographer Jessica Huber and in non-places with the artist and performer Sara Leghissa.
The Atelier is an immersive path in which thoughts and practices feed each other fluctuatin between the individual and the collective.
with Jessica Huber, Tejus Menon, Ernestyna Orlowska, Tyra Wigg
music Magda Drodz
a walk / 12 March 2023
Balade (I lost****/ Lugano happening #1)
by Jessica Huber e Francesca Sproccati
con il contributo degli/delle artisti/e Domi Chansorn, Geraldine Chollet, Marta Margnetti e ai/alle partecipanti dei laboratori di Krei Art. ritrovo ore 15h
Jessica e Francesca vi invitano a fare una passeggiata nei dintorni de La Straordinaria Tour Vagabond. La loro ricerca verte sul tema delle perdite riconosciute e non, l’atto di perdere in generale, l’arte dire addio – e anche di ritrovare il «nuovo». Il fatto che La Straordinaria sia collocato tra il cimitero e i campi di calcio di Lugano è una coincidenza stimolante. Ballade è una passeggiata e una condivisione dei loro incontri e delle loro scoperte attraverso una chiacchierata informale.
Grazie per i preziosi incontri a (in ordine sparso): Maria Chiara Botti, Laura Pedevilla, Federica Alamia, Cristina Brazzola, Alice Mauri e Francesca Martinelli (Krei Art), Patrick Jacobi, Samuele Gaggini, Barbara Raes. Durata: circa 1h-1h30
(Foto: Nelly Rodriguez)
Resonant Relation
Open Studio - May 6, 2023, Tanzhaus Zurich, Studio 3
By and with: Cosima Grand, Demi Jakob, Ernestyna Orlowska, Jessica Huber, Oli Roth, Valentine Paley
During six months we met once a month and researched on the topic of resonance. We rocked, sang, danced, listened intensively, made music and tested resonance experiences with objects.
On this open studio day we would like to share our experiences. We invite you to participate in individual program points or to spend the whole day with us. We will have drinks and snacks at the end.
It’s the final evening of La Straordinaria at the Tour Vagabond. We invite you to an evening with special guests, stories, music and fire as a way to say goodbye to this temporary space of togetherness that we shared at La Tour Vagabond.
17h work table to build your personal (or collective) monsters (puppet/thing that personifies/embodies one or more of our fears/nightmares/ghosts… whatever we want to let go of by throwing it into the fire) – in collaboration with Krei Art and the kids 18h participatory performance "tout public" (children are welcome). My mom is a monster by and with Alessia Della Casa and Simone Pari 19h dinner offered 20h le recueil des miracles 21h interventions by the team of La Straordinaria and closing ritual with the burning of our monsters and wishes in a big fire.
(Foto: Sarah Boulette)
Research in Montréal ( with FTA ) around "rituals of tenderness", 23.10. - 10.11.2022
Respirations
a film by Jan Gassmann
99 Moons
Role: Barbara
ACID Film Festival Cannes, May 2022
Swiss Premiere at Zurich Film Festival
26 September 2022
Start in Swiss Cinemas: 11.1.2023
Performance / projection at the HOW Art Museum Shanghai
holding it together: myself and the other
31.5. -4.6.2022
by Jessica Huber
with & co-creation Géraldine Chollet & Robert Stein
video Michelle Ettlin
(picture Nelly Rodriguez)
Festival Noob / Pont-Audemer (F)
wet-knowledge (an introduction)
21 April 2022
As part of the Reshape Project and the Department for Civil Imagination I'm introducing my passion for wet-knowledge.
(picture jessica huber)
Gessnerallee Zürich
el caldo
24., 25., 26. 27.3.2022
With Edy Giraldo, Jessica Huber, Vanessa Heer und Carolina Ann Baur, Camila Marambio und Ariel Bustamante, Carolina Mendonça, Jota Mombaça, MPA, Noís Radio, Loup Rivière, Maritza Sánchez, Else Tunemyr
TEXT, CURATION Catalina Insignares mit dem Team der Gessnerallee
(picture jessica huber)
a film by Phil Hayes
VOICES
Kino Riff Raff, Zürich / 24.5.2022
«Voices» zeigt 8 private Momente in Form einer Reihe von parallelen Telefongesprächen. Der Theater- und Performancemacher Phil Hayes hat diesen Lo-Fi, No-Budget Experimentalfilm mit einer wiederentdeckten Sony Mini-DV-Kamera aus den 90er Jahren und einem Ensemble von Freunden und Kollegen gedreht.
Mit Autofokus gefilmt, stellt «Voices» uns eine Reihe von Fremden vor, die mit einer Vielzahl von Dilemmas und Kommunikationsproblemen konfrontiert sind.
A performative sharing
sharing some traces of "rituals of tenderness"
REALITIES - Salon Suisse, Venice Biennale
22 October 2021 - 7 pm
A discussion with Lydia Kallipoliti and performance by Jessica Huber with Géraldine Chollet & Cosima Grand
(picture: Emma Hoette/Jessica Huber)
rituals of tenderness & cider (raum für ungewisses)
sharings as part of OPEN FUTURES
Open Futures Festival Kunst. Nachhaltigkeit. Gemeinschaft 10.11.21-05.12.21 Gessnerallee, Tanzhaus, Shedhalle, ETH Newrope
Sounding my plant (workshop day for kids) / at the intercultural garden (21.7.)
Manon Fantini & Jessica Huber
Playful day of listening, inventing, recording, creating our own unknown creature or sounding plant. At the Intercultural Garden in Kloten as part of the SONIC MATTER Festival.
