Breathtaking moves to dizzy heights, meticulously planned choreography, stunning costumes – anyone who attends a Movimento show is touched on all senses. The artist group of grafting has made a name in recent years, far ahead of the field by constructively intervening gymnastics and art, sports and movement.
Movimento was originally started in 2008 as a school project at the Graphing Grammar School. Jasmine Ringer, who started in fifth grade and is doing abstinence this year, has been with us for eight years now. She says, “I saw a film performance in third grade and always wanted to go there.” Like everyone else, he started with fellow artists. “Now I have specialized in silk wrap,” says Ringer. “One who has always fascinated me.”
Fear of hight should not be an issue, with some performers performing at a height of eight meters without a safety net. He is a “climbing monkey”, Ringer says and admits: “I love the adrenaline rush.” Above all, cohesion in the community and group is characterized by the ambience of Movimento for him. “I come to the hall and get to know everybody,” she says.
During training, three to four times a week in normal time, she can stop completely. After that, she says, she is usually completely exhausted, and when it comes to performing, it can sometimes be really stressful. “There should be four to five choreographies in everyone’s mind.” But even if she sometimes gets frustrated with the training, because nothing wants to work, the focus is mostly on fun and a sense of community. After graduating from high school, Jasmine Ringer wants to focus on art; One way that also has to do with her experience at Movemento is: “I also see aerial acrobatics as an opportunity to express myself artistically.”
Robin Janosh has chosen another place in the art of movement: he does juggling. The now 19-year-old came to Movemento while attending a peer class at Graffing Grammar School. Today he is undergoing training to become a plant gardener. Nevertheless, he wants to remain loyal to Movimento for as long as possible. “I had my first gig in 2014,” he says. “I immediately enjoyed it.” He is currently juggling balls and clubs. Janosuch says it’s good to joke around with others: “You can do a lot with a partner, and it feels great as a group.” While performing in front of several people, he was initially afraid of the stage, but it subsided over time. “It sounds great when everybody claps,” says Robin Janoch. “It’s really fun.”
It is important to Stephen Eberr that not only the students of Grafting Grammar School are welcomed into the movement artist group: girls and boys from secondary and special schools are also part of the Movemento. Eberrer, a high school teacher of graphing, acquired the sports group from a collaborator 13 years ago and completely changed its concept. “It was important for me to integrate different disciplines,” he says.
Movimento began with over 100 students, with the group having more than 300 members at peak times. The number currently fluctuates between 160 and 180 years from the age of ten. “Our oldest member is 67 years old,” says Egerrah, who is a former teacher. In addition, you can choose between cycling, balance, aerial artistry, acrobatics or dance.
Movimento has not long been the only school sports group with internal training units. In 2010 he made his first major appearance. Eberr mentions 2014 as a beautiful milestone in the artists’ success story: At the time, a circus tent was set up on the Ebersburg Fair Ground, with Movimento five times as part of the Ebersburg Culture Fire Exhibited. Every performance was sold out, 1000 viewers a day. It was a project with an incredible effort. But: “With the tent we have fulfilled a dream”, says Eberr. At the time he told SZ: “The response was overwhelming, and which was particularly good: many had tears in their eyes.”
As a highlight, Stephen Eberr referred to the May 8, 2015 commemoration of the seventh anniversary of the end of the World War. The group of artists was invited to Sankt Johannisirk in Würzburg. In their performances, the movement’s actors recreate farewells and frightening scenes, but also hope and new beginnings in dance and beautiful drama. “It wasn’t just a show, not just entertainment,” Amberger said. “We have shown that artistry can deal with difficult subjects as well.”
For Movimento, regular participation in German gymnastics festivals and world gymnastics courses, an exchange between gymnasts around the world, is a definite part of Movimento’s calendar. Stephen Eberhr says, “Children and youth take these events internationally,” and as a group leader, I always experience this as a very intense week. “He tries to keep internationally away from these events by repeatedly bringing in professional grafting artists from France, Canada, Russia or Brazil. The rehearsal for Movimento is currently difficult, and training continues online.
And the next project is coming: an artistic, acrobatic and musical mix. The theme is the story of a German-Italian circus family who lived in the 1950s and were not only struggling with the challenges of modern times. Will Artistic also bring tears to viewers’ eyes? The release of a Christmas medley has already been awarded a fifth place in the BR competition in “Searching for the Best Choir in Bavaria So Far”.
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