What do pro wrestling, bodybuilding and artistic swimming have in common? Glittering spandex, overtrained bodies and the accusation that they are »not real« sports. Yet these disciplines are extreme physical feats. The lecture asks: What makes show sports so special? What performativities emerge between kitsch, control, sport and theater? And what body politics flex in the ring, on the stage or in the pool?

Marie Simons works as a director and dramaturge in the independent scene. Simons researches, works and writes from a queer-feminist perspective on gender and body productions in popular culture, especially in show sport.

The workshop will work with role plays and historical references to school sport and we will actively engage with it through sport. What political and pedagogical orientations in sports education have there been in Germany in the last 50 years? How have we experienced our own school sports lessons? How would we like physical education to be?

Please bring your gym bag (joke) and training clothes (serious). Note: In contrast to some sports education concepts, no one is forced to do anything and everyone decides for themselves what they want to do.

Tom Weller is a lecturer in sports education, trainer in queer fitness groups, author and filmmaker and studied sport, history and film directing in Cologne. In his projects, he works primarily on queer history and body politics.

tom-weller.de

Fascist sport ideals are omnipresent on TikTok in the form of white slim bodies and narratives between discipline and self-surveillance. In this live podcast, we analyze the implications of aesthetics between Lululemon leggings and pro-ana lifestyle as part of a currently observable Rise of Fascism.

In »Fashion The Gaze«, Freya Herrmann and Vera Klocke talk once a month about the political implications of contemporary pop cultural phenomena. From neo-fascist tiktok trends to body politics and staging in current films and series: just trying to make sense of the culture and where the world is headed.

What’s good, Uggos?
Our professional trainers are tough as nails and their regimen is merciless: the revolution will be ugly and we’ll have to be too.
Join »Fat Camp« to dive into questions of how capitalist narratives of strength, beauty, and health shape the way we relate to each other as competitors – and leave it all behind through our multi-step course.

FEELINGS comprises the artistic works, performative research, games, and feelings that Jil Dreyer and Joey Mehling have been developing with and for each other since 2017.

What would sports be without spectators?They are the ones who turn sport into an event, a spectacle, a celebration. Sports without festivals is like theatre without an audience: Spartakiads, gymnastics festivals, EuroGames, Gay Games – all these events have a celebratory character. Athletes display their skills, their performance, they perform. The audience applauds, cheers, and motivates. Whether on an international, national, or regional level, sports festivals are an integral part of sports. Sometimes we celebrate achievements, sometimes we celebrate sports heroes, and sometimes we celebrate ourselves. But who is this “we” in sports? Sports is often referred to as the “performance of society.” So, when we analyze sports festivals – both historically and in the present – we learn something about a society’s self-image. This is also true for the sports festival here at Ballhaus Ost. The exhibits on display here belong to the collection of the Sportmuseum Berlin, which has been located in the Olympic Park since 1997. Home to more than 10,000 objects and 1.5 million images, it boasts one of the most diverse and largest sports collections in Germany. The Sportmuseum Berlin is currently developing a permanent exhibition, which will be displayed in the Maifeldtribüne in the Olympic Park. The exhibition is slated to open in the summer of 2026.

Inhalt halt keine Relevanz, weil dieser beitrag per redirect umgeleitet wird auf: Sportfest

At the age of 11, Norwin declares on Swiss television the goal of playing in the NBA, the best basketball league in the world, and dreams for years of growth spurts that fail to materialize. In the performance, Norwin poses the question: What can I imagine for myself, for my body? – and grants permission to grow beyond the given physical form.

Norwin Tharayil (aka elfrid the third) works at the intersection of literature, music and performance. In past audio pieces, (song) texts and performances, Norwin has explored the meaning of sleep and meditation apps in Western, capitalist societies, factory work and heartbreak.

The video work »Posters« questions in an unobjective way how the sporting highlights of recent decades fit into the lives of their viewers. Patinated and pixelated, the result is a portrait of those who remember.

Jasper Landmann is a linguist and filmmaker who specializes in the staging of visual art in European museums. His enthusiasm for sports came with his grandfather’s giant television.

In the performance »Olympia«, Jäckie proves their ability to compete in the Olympic pentathlon by drawing a parallel to the rigorous application process they had to navigate to access gender-affirming care as a non-binary person in Germany.

Jäckie Rydz is a non-binary theater maker. Through poetic texts and immersive stage design, they explore gender and the unwritten rules that shape society.

To come to terms with the trauma of the socialist athlete, »Trashtalk Dynamo« goes to an artificial ice stadium with Mielke’s head as a goal wall and seeks healing through fan chants and penalty shoot-outs.

Toni Jessen is an actor, lecturer and choir director. Sebastian Mauksch is a director in the theater for young audiences. Volkan Türeli is a musician, performer and director.