Dream in Man

Depression persists, but in a dream, the memory of his deceased grandfather emerges, offering a spark of hope.

Something begins to reach toward Ashley Temba - through images, fragments, memories. Visions appear like voices from another time. As the artist records them, a search unfolds: for balance, for closeness, for a way not to lose himself.

Dream in Man moves along the quiet connection between Ashley Temba and his deceased grandfather. From shared memories, unsent letters, and stories told by relatives, a dialogue emerges about absence, inheritance, and the traces that a life leaves in the body. Two people - two artists - one path - separated by death and what remained unspoken.

Between dance and language, an intimate performative landscape unfolds: choreography, improvisation, and spoken fragments of private writings. Emotional states appear not as narrative, but as movement - trembling, resistance, longing, exhaustion. The work asks how art can become a place where forgiveness and healing remain possible - and whether self-love sometimes begins only where memory comes alive again.

Duration: 45 minutes

Concept, choreography and performance: Ashley Temba
Music: Jason Bakker-Walters
Dramaturgy: Lea Bethke

Ashley Temba is a dancer, performer, and choreographer from Brooklyn, New York, based in Berlin. He embodies a performative approach rooted in a culture of direct expression - raw, rough, and honest. Following a residency at Tanzhaus Zurich under the direction of Tarren Johnson, his work has appeared at Haus am Waldsee and Museum Salzburg. Beyond his own artistic practice, he teaches as a lecturer at the Center of Dance. His recent projects include the performance Flight of the Canaries (2023) by Bishop Black and his solo portrait As I Wan