Half a year later

Powder dance: “I would do it again!”

Some were touched by the naked powder dance of the inclusive ensemble around Doris Uhlich, others were upset by the confrontation with these authentic images.

(Bild: Wolfgang Spitzbart)

Naked people at the "Pudertanz" are the most memorable part of the Capital of Culture so far; choreographer Doris Uhlich would do it again - with more people. At the halfway point of the exceptional year in the Salzkammergut, the Viennese choreographer gives her personal assessment in the "Krone" talk.

It was freezing cold, yet the atmosphere was heated: on 21 January, the Capital of Culture Bad Ischl - Salzkammergut opened with the naked powder dance, which sparked heated debates on social media at the time: some found it courageous, others found it repulsive. Many still remember it today.

At the halfway point of the Capital of Culture, the "Krone" asks Attersee choreographer Doris Uhlich, who lives in Vienna, whether she would do the spectacle again.

"Krone": The powder dance was probably the most striking contribution to the opening. What is your assessment six months on?
Doris Uhlich: I had expected the powder dance to provoke different opinions. The response has been strong and positive. The powder dance embodied cosmopolitanism, a broader concept of beauty and also generated empathy.

What does the great response do for your career?
It was the first time I was really out of the cultural bubble! Many people have seen my work that I would otherwise never reach. But I also received more negative opinions than ever before. But: more people, more opinions.

Doris Uhlich comes from the Salzkammergut region and lives as a choreographer in Vienna.

(Bild: Katarina Soskic)

How did you personally deal with the excitement?
I felt vindicated by it. Klimt was once looked at with question marks, 100 years later he was celebrated. Contemporary art is there to spark discussions. This often takes on a political character. But politics should not interfere in what art should look like, because the freedom of art must be preserved.

Have you been increasingly booked by other Capitals of Culture since then?
I haven't received any commissions from other Capitals of Culture. But my touring calendar continues, of course.

Would you do the powder dance again?
Definitely, even at minus 7 degrees, with a whole orchestra and with 20 more people on stage - I'm up for it!

What is your overall experience of the Capital of Culture?
I'm on my way to Ischl at the moment, I want to see a lot of things. It's a scattered program, but that's what makes it so charming and activates my desire to discover.

On July 27, Uhlich dances a solo performance as part of "Perspektiven Attersee": she lands as a "swan on the lake" in Sprinzensteinpark, Attersee im Attergau (7.30 pm).