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My name is Darja Reznikova and I am the founder and artistic director of SoBo Productions, choreographer, contemporary dance educator and researcher in the field of interdisciplinarity.
My Vision
The power of sound and movement to expand human consciousness
My vision is to generate conscious work that captures the core of a person in a deep, authentic and empowering way, highlighting the ephemerality of the human body with its uniquely sonorous, visceral and intangible elements.
With each project the further aim is to raise awareness of the healing qualities of vocal sound and movement through the art form of contemporary dance. The resonating state experienced by the dancer or audience member does not only merge the body and its environment, but also serves as a contribution to the expansion of human consciousness and thus wellbeing of all.
After dealing with the physical body in a very superficial and tangible way as a ‘silent’ dancer, I was drawn to create and produce work that deals with rather integrative and ephemeral aspects of the moving body and its vocal sounds, crossing and even transforming beyond the individual disciplines of Song, Dance and Drama toward an inherent knowledge of the body.
About me
I guess my work continues to reflect these struggles and experiences as an immigrant, and a transient way of living, forming a particular worldview of mine.
My career as a choreographer, movement director, dance educator and researcher
Being originally born in the Ukraine, to a Russian father and a Jewish-Ukrainian mother, it has always been difficult for me to define my roots and heritage, where I belonged in the world. Moving around a lot and training in Germany, USA and the UK, I seem to still not have found a place that I call home and struggle with any national attribution.
While I spent a large part of my life in Germany, my time studying and working in London proved essential in finding my inner calling. After gaining three degrees in relation to dance & theatre performance and pedagogy, I worked as a freelance dancer for numerous international choreographers, directors and companies which never seemed to fulfil me. It was only my personal research that finally helped me opening up channels to an inner knowing and belonging independent of cultural, national or gender identity.
My recent productions M | Я (2024), XE [zi:] (2022) and I Am…(2020) dealt with subject matters such as gender and cultural identity, reality and perception of self and the other, war and peace, propaganda and populism, conflicts and the origin of violence, as well as social sustainability.
Besides my artistic profile, I am also a mom of two boys. I continue my work as a dance tutor, mentor and movement director in Mannheim and London, facilitating educational programs in schools and communities, as well as promoting diverse and inclusive dance projects.
My main aim is to highlight the importance of dance, making it accessible to all, while engaging in and propelling innovative research collaborations, especially in relation to the science of sound and vibration.
The company
SoBo Productions
SoBo’s productions are an extension of my work as a researcher into the interrelationship between body movement and the sound of the voice, blending abstract, integrative and transdisciplinary approaches to create immersive experiences across stage, screen, and site-specific performances. Focusing, in particular, on the vibrational and transcendent properties of sound and the human body my creative approach is based around my personally developed and published SoundBody method (PDF).
I always seek to create raw and visceral work, designed to produce visually, acoustically, and emotionally transformative content, striving towards a holistic constellation of space, sound, and movement.
SoBo Productions acts as a project-based company, whereby I always invite different local, national or international collaborators from a variety of disciplines based on the individual creative concept of each work.
My artistic interests are formed by inquiring into and breaking theatrical as well as societal conventions surrounding rules and norms in relation to our existence in this world. Some of those interests include Semiotics (the connotations of speech), Paralinguistics (non-verbal use of language, Psychosomatics, Socio-cultural and Gender related studies, (Extrasensory) Perception, Authentic Movement and the Knowing Body.
News & Dates
Immerse yourself! Here you will find all the details about my work and where you can experience me live.
News & Dates
Check out our latest productions live and digital on demand!
SoBo Productions
Have a look at all of the company's work, on stage, site and screen!
SoBo Waves
Check out our community work, along with classes, workshops and much more...
Supporters
Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts Baden-Württemberg — Landesverband Freie- und Theaterschaffende Baden-Württemberg (LaFT) — Kulturamt Mannheim — Landesbank Baden-Württemberg — the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media — Nationales Performance Netz /Neustart Kultur/Stepping Out — Mannheim Sagt Ja! — Schwindelfrei Festival Mannheim — EinTanzHaus Mannheim — Inter Actions Heidelberg — Theater Felina-Areal Mannheim
🫶Thank you!