Codas
Performance · Premiere by Inky Lee, Hyemi Jo
In the frame of Fold - Energie der Erzählungen Tickets
DGS invitation video
DGS video script
“Codas” tells the experiences and life journeys of three CODA (Children of Deaf Adults) in German sign language (DGS), as well as in German & English spoken language. The stories of CODAs are embodied by four performers. The performers—two of them Deaf and two hearing—express the tone, textures, rhythms, and emotions of the narratives through movement. A soundscape accompanies the piece, adding a unique color to each story. The first half of the piece focuses on the content of these personal accounts. In the second half, the narratives gradually fade, giving way to evolving choreography and sound. This shift mirrors how memories live in the body—deeply felt, yet often beyond the reach of words.
DGS video script
“Codas” tells the experiences and life journeys of three CODA (Children of Deaf Adults) in German sign language (DGS), as well as in German & English spoken language. The stories of CODAs are embodied by four performers. The performers—two of them Deaf and two hearing—express the tone, textures, rhythms, and emotions of the narratives through movement. A soundscape accompanies the piece, adding a unique color to each story. The first half of the piece focuses on the content of these personal accounts. In the second half, the narratives gradually fade, giving way to evolving choreography and sound. This shift mirrors how memories live in the body—deeply felt, yet often beyond the reach of words.
The performance is accessible for Deaf audiences and is a relaxed performance.
Accessibility
The performance takes place in Studio 14, Studio 14 is almost at ground level. The entrance is via Studio 13, there is a slight gradient of 1.0% from the outside to the entrance of Studio 14. Studio 14 has 2 wheelchair spaces. The barrier-free toilet is located in the foyer of Studios 3, 4 and 5, which is about 6 meters across the courtyard.
Early boarding (early seating) is offered before the performance. Please register in advance at ticket@tanzfabrik-berlin.de
If you have any further questions about the access requirements for this performance, please contact: access@tanzfabrik-berlin.de
Further information on accessibility can be found on our website: https://www.tanzfabrik-berlin.de/en/barrierefreiheit#
Content note/ sensory stimuli:
Codas is a relaxed performance. Different seating options, such as beanbags, chairs, cushions are provided. The performance is accessible for Deaf audiences. At arrival, a translator for German Sign Language will be present at the ticket box in Studio 13. There will be pre-boarding for Deaf audiences. The languages used during the performance are German Sign language and Visual Vernacular, as well as spoken English and German. There will be strong bass throughout the performance. Situations of discrimination, such as ableism, will be adressed.
19.10. 19:00 Family Friendly Environment
Early boarding (early seating) is offered before the performance. Please register in advance at ticket@tanzfabrik-berlin.de
If you have any further questions about the access requirements for this performance, please contact: access@tanzfabrik-berlin.de
Further information on accessibility can be found on our website: https://www.tanzfabrik-berlin.de/en/barrierefreiheit#
Content note/ sensory stimuli:
Codas is a relaxed performance. Different seating options, such as beanbags, chairs, cushions are provided. The performance is accessible for Deaf audiences. At arrival, a translator for German Sign Language will be present at the ticket box in Studio 13. There will be pre-boarding for Deaf audiences. The languages used during the performance are German Sign language and Visual Vernacular, as well as spoken English and German. There will be strong bass throughout the performance. Situations of discrimination, such as ableism, will be adressed.
19.10. 19:00 Family Friendly Environment
In the afternoon performances marked «Family Friendly Environment - All families welcome», parents and caregivers are warmly welcome together with their children. Although the performances are not specifically designed for young audiences, we aim to create a family-friendly environment, both outside and inside the studio. We understand if children cannot sit still throughout and families may wish to leave the performance in between or earlier. Unfortunately, we are not yet able to offer childcare. Admission is free for all accompanied children up to and including the age of 12. We kindly ask you to bring your own noise-canceling headphones. Earplugs are available on site in Studio 13 and at the entrance to the performance in Studio 1.4
Inky Lee
Inky Lee (they/them) is a multidisciplinary artist and a writer living in Berlin. Their work creates space for the embodied experiences of marginalized individuals and communities to be acknowledged, mourned for and celebrated. In their work, Inky looks for ways to be direct and tender at once.
Hyemi Jo
Hyemi Jo (she/her) is a Deaf artist, activist, and web designer from South Korea, currently based in Berlin. She is involved in political work that amplifies the visibility of the Deaf community. Hyemi appreciates Berlin’s diversity—for example, how BIPoC and Queer people from various backgrounds live together. She values the intersectionality that the city embodies.
Duration approx. 60 Min
Pay what you can (10/15/20/25) & 5 Euro ticket available for BIPoC, Deaf, CODA (Children of Deaf Adults)
Pay what you can (10/15/20/25) & 5 Euro ticket available for BIPoC, Deaf, CODA (Children of Deaf Adults)
Artistic direction, Choreography: Inky Lee
Performance & Collaboration: Hyemi Jo, jee chan, Jiayi Wu, TingAn Ying
Performance & Interview: Melanie Subat, Milena Yara Klinner, Lea Löpker.
Light design: Gretchen Blegen
Sound design: Hyewon Suk
Barrier-free consultation: Hyemi Jo
DGS coach: Paulina Güllü
DGS communication assistants: Caterina Macht, Hannah Stolp, Kris Chekelova, Lisa Schuler, Nancy Dominguez
Production management: Christin Eckart
Production management: Christin Eckart
Supported by IMPACT-Funding 2025 of the Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion.
↪ FURTHER BIOGRAPHIES
jee chan is an artist working in the fields of dance and expanded choreography. Their practice is concerned with questions surrounding the displaced body and what it can perform, addressing themes of memory, violence and colonial terror, particularly among the contexts of island Southeast Asia.
My name is Jiayi Wu 武佳怡. As a Deaf performer, I participated in the performance, “Floating Roots” (2024) by Inky Lee, and am currently involved in a new theater project at Deutsches Gehörlosen-Theater. My interest lies in intercultural communication and artistic expression.
TingAn Ying 鄞廷安 is a Berlin-based Han-Taiwanese artist and practitioner whose work is rooted in performance and embodiment. Drawing on her strong background as a dancer, TingAn has collaborated with Falk Richter, Anouk van Dijk, and Emanuel Gat. Her practice focuses on the social constructs of memory and identity, striving for transformative collaborative formats. TingAn also contributes as a facilitator and producer.
Melanie is a CODA. Growing up between two cultures shaped her perspective. With this piece, she explores what it means to navigate identity, communication and connection.
Milena: I'm living two parallel lives. In one, these hands speak my heart's language; in the other, my voice navigates a world that rarely perceives the richness of my visual heritage. My identity finds a balance, between signs and sound and my hands tell the story of belonging everywhere and nowhere at once.
Lea: I am a hearing heritage signer and grew up in an environment shaped by both signed and spoken communication. Even though I don't yet know if and how I can define my identity, I know one thing for sure: DGS is not only my first language, but also the language of my soul.
↪ FURTHER BIOGRAPHIES
jee chan is an artist working in the fields of dance and expanded choreography. Their practice is concerned with questions surrounding the displaced body and what it can perform, addressing themes of memory, violence and colonial terror, particularly among the contexts of island Southeast Asia.
My name is Jiayi Wu 武佳怡. As a Deaf performer, I participated in the performance, “Floating Roots” (2024) by Inky Lee, and am currently involved in a new theater project at Deutsches Gehörlosen-Theater. My interest lies in intercultural communication and artistic expression.
TingAn Ying 鄞廷安 is a Berlin-based Han-Taiwanese artist and practitioner whose work is rooted in performance and embodiment. Drawing on her strong background as a dancer, TingAn has collaborated with Falk Richter, Anouk van Dijk, and Emanuel Gat. Her practice focuses on the social constructs of memory and identity, striving for transformative collaborative formats. TingAn also contributes as a facilitator and producer.
Melanie is a CODA. Growing up between two cultures shaped her perspective. With this piece, she explores what it means to navigate identity, communication and connection.
Milena: I'm living two parallel lives. In one, these hands speak my heart's language; in the other, my voice navigates a world that rarely perceives the richness of my visual heritage. My identity finds a balance, between signs and sound and my hands tell the story of belonging everywhere and nowhere at once.
Lea: I am a hearing heritage signer and grew up in an environment shaped by both signed and spoken communication. Even though I don't yet know if and how I can define my identity, I know one thing for sure: DGS is not only my first language, but also the language of my soul.