Everyone is talking about TikTok

On TikTok, people exchange ideas, meet each other, relate to each other and show what they are like. Or not? Perhaps TikTok is a medium for conscious self-dramatisation, where every ‘um’ is scripted? Perhaps theatre is being performed on TikTok. People can have a direct voice here. Art is created here; people can say what they think - or say what the character they are playing should say now. TikTok opens a space in which we can get to know thoughts, images, dances and opinions that we would otherwise not come across. TikTok is a practice, a network, a political issue.

How can we gather outside of TikTok and talk about TikTok? We want to try it out with you! We will meet on the big stage at tanzhaus nrw. TikTok videos will be presented, people who think about TikTok and people who think on TikTok, who present art there and elsewhere, who dance or research together. And you! With your questions, ideas and thoughts.

This part of the programme consists of two parts. It begins on the big stage at tanzhaus nrw and ends in the foyer in small discussion groups. First, Martina Leeker, Brig Huezo, Ole Liebl and the Darb Attabana youth club from Kampnagel will present their views. Then they talk to each other and to you.
 

Martina Leeker
TikTok world theatre: After authentic authenticity - show-down of brands on global stages

In her input, media scientist Martina Leeker develops TikTok as world theatre and highlights differences to traditional forms of theatre/performance. The focus is on the creation of authenticity, knowledge and community. She outlines the spectrum of virtual world theatre, from self-proclaimed families mercilessly fighting each other in shitstorms and hate speech, to performances by self-proclaimed ‘cripples’ and highly philosophical etudes about the hardships of existence. This multiplicity makes world theatre complex and problematic in an unprecedented way, so that traditional forms of theatre and performance almost seem like a desirable and worthy safe space.

TikTok
@nettheatrechannel
@lotteleaker
 

Ole Liebl
TikTok as an intimate practice

We lie in bed, stand in the kitchen, go for a walk or get ready in the bathroom. And on TikTok, we see people lying in bed, standing in the kitchen, going for a walk or getting ready in the bathroom. The similarity and closeness of the creators creates a peculiar intimacy with the viewers. How much staging and projection is involved? How seductive are the so-called parasocial relationships on TikTok? What communities do they create?

TikTok
@oleliebl

Instagram
@oleliebl

Brig Huezo
Remixing Movement and Identity: How TikTok Transforms Dance, Gender, and Body Politics

As a Post digital dance maker, Brig Huezo uses this platform to challenge conventional ideas of movement, gender, and body politics through radical and experimental performances. Huezo’s choreography blends contemporary dance with performance art, gaming, and queer culture, often exploring themes of identity, vulnerability, and societal norms. By embracing non-linear, improvisational movements, they aim to disrupt traditional aesthetics and provoke reflection on the body and identity. TikTok amplifies this impact, allowing creators to redefine beauty standards and visibility through expressive, viral content. Creating marginalized voices, a platform to challenge norms and reshape representation in the digital age.

Brig Huezo is a post-digital choreographer, dancer and performer. They work at the intersection of technology, gaming, 3D design, film and fashion. Huezo studied Contemporary Dance at the Cologne University of Music and Dance and received support from the DAAD and other foundations. 

Instagram
@_brig_hz