At the Gropius Bau in Berlin, Alex Baczyński-Jenkins captivates audiences with his performance, “Malign Junction (Goodbye, Berlin)” (2025), drawing inspiration from Christopher Isherwood’s 1939 novel. The performance unfolds on a uniquely angled stage, surrounded by stark neon lights and a striking metal sculpture, as dancers enter with movements that evoke a haunting imagery reminiscent of George Grosz’s depictions of a fractured society and dehumanisation in post-war Germany.
This evocative performance mirrors Isherwood’s exploration of a Berlin on the brink of repression, drawing parallels to today’s Germany, marked by heightened police violence and political shifts. Baczyński-Jenkins subtly weaves in themes of queer identity and the fading freedoms of Weimar Berlin, contrasting sharply with the grim realities of fascism’s rise.
The choreography takes cues from Bob Fosse’s iconic style found in “Cabaret,” blending fragmented wrist rolls and jazzy gestures. As the dancers tap away, their energetic footwork ignites a sense of urgency, echoing the historical turmoil of Weimar Germany dancing on a precipice, a sentiment as poignant today as it was centuries ago.
Notably, Baczyński-Jenkins frames these movements in contemporary attire rather than Fosse’s vintage aesthetics, grounding the performance in the present. Accompanied by resounding electronic beats, sporadic echoes of Fosse’s “Willkommen” drum cadence enhance the sense of looming crisis, heightening the overall atmosphere.
Yet, the precision typically associated with Fosse’s choreography seems somewhat diluted in Baczyński-Jenkins’s execution. Dancers occasionally falter in synchronisation, their expressions hinting at exhaustion in the face of mounting societal pressures. The uncertainty over whether this dispassion is intentional raises questions about the clarity of the work’s intention.
The performance’s rich tapestry of movement references sometimes obscures its central narrative. Infusions of folk dance and Romantic ballet aesthetics shift the mood from the intended sultriness of 1920s jazz to an indistinct blend lacking focus. As the performance wears on, it stretches and dilutes these allusions into a series of abstract movements.
While Baczyński-Jenkins begins with strong thematic potential, the performance ultimately becomes a kaleidoscope of ideas that flit past without deeper engagement. Echoing Isherwood’s notion of passive observation, Baczyński-Jenkins’s work often favours surface aesthetics over profound exploration, prompting reflection on the balance between visual richness and meaningful narrative in performance art.
In “Malign Junction (Goodbye, Berlin)” at Gropius Bau, Alex Baczyński-Jenkins melds history with contemporary reflections on Berlin’s societal challenges. Drawing from Isherwood’s novel, the performance features dancers embodying themes of dehumanisation, repression, and the fading of queer freedoms. Despite its vibrant choreography inspired by Bob Fosse, the execution falters in synchronisation while exploring multiple dance vocabularies, leaving a diluted thematic focus.
In conclusion, Alex Baczyński-Jenkins’s “Malign Junction (Goodbye, Berlin)” offers a thought-provoking exploration of Berlin’s historical and present-day turmoil, marked by allusions to societal disintegration and repression. While visually engaging and rooted in significant themes, the performance struggles with coherence and depth, fostering questions about the interplay between aesthetic engagement and conceptual clarity. As the art landscape continues to evolve, the challenge remains to captivate audiences with both substance and style.
Original Source: www.frieze.com
