We warmly invite all to the final performance of the Valeska Gert Visiting Professorship of Viktor Ruban, which will be shown on Thursday, 17 July 2025 at 7 p.m. in the Blackbox of the Academy of Arts, Pariser Platz.

Together with the dance studies students, Kyiv-based Ukrainian choreographer, dance educator and cultural activist Viktor Ruban is exploring methods of reenactment. After analysing examples of reenactments, including subcultures of dance, and the interplay between reenactment and reconstruction, the students have developed their own approaches to small-scale reenactments, which are presented in a performative manner.

Admission is free. Due to limited seating, advance reservations are recommended (see link below to reserve tickets). 

About the Ukranian dance artist and cultural activist Viktor Ruban

As the cofounder of several platforms for Ukrainian artists and researchers, Ruban is a tireless advocate for intercultural exchange in Europe and beyond. He has contributed greatly to raising the profile of Ukrainian artists and opening up professional opportunities for younger generations. He has been a teacher at the Choreography and Dance Sports Department of the National University of Ukraine on Physical Education and Sport since 2024.

Since the outbreak of Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine, alongside his artistic and curatorial work, Ruban has been investigating how dance and somatic practices can address the embodied trauma of war. Together with choreographer and psychologist Liudmyla Mova, Ruban developed a new program for the psycho-emotional recovery of Ukrainians with creative and artistic activities. Part of this involves providing dance and somatic techniques within an intensive program that lasts three to five days that helps soldiers, instructors, and commanders cope with the extraordinary physical and mental stress of wartime.

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The Valeska Gert Visiting Professorship is a cooperation of the Master's Program in Critical Dance Studies at Freie Universität Berlin, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Artists-in-Berlin Program, and the Academy of Arts Berlin.