The National Institute of Music and Dance and the Pavilion of Dance and Other Performing Arts invite you to a masterclass with Joseph Tebendek, organized as part of the “Dancing Across Borders” program.

During the class, participants will explore the complex relationships between the human body and assistive devices used by people with diverse mobility needs. Objects such as crutches, wheelchairs, or other aids become personal tools for movement, and at the same time a symbolic and universal expression of perception, agency, beauty, and strength.

Participants will explore the use of assistive devices not only as physical supports but also as elements that expand the experience of movement identity. A key question accompanying the practice will be the reflection on whether these objects can be perceived as tools of movement liberation or rather as a form of limitation. The masterclass is dialogic in nature and is based on the idea of inclusion, encouraging creative and critical reflection on the social perception of disability.

The goal of the instructor’s artistic and educational activities is to break down limiting perceptions of disability, increase the visibility of artists with disabilities, and foster greater social openness toward diversity.

The “Dancing Across Borders” program supports the development of competencies in dance and accessibility in the performing arts. Its goal is to increase the accessibility of the cultural sector for diverse groups of participants, including Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, neurodiverse people, and people with disabilities, as well as to enhance the knowledge and skills of those seeking to professionalize their dance practice.

Social diversity, including disability, is treated in the program as an individual resource and creative potential, fostering the emergence of unique and innovative forms of artistic expression and dialogue on the creative and personal development of participants, regardless of their physical condition or level of ability. The program also addresses the need to develop formal arts education in dance and choreography for people with special needs, particularly those with disabilities, the Deaf, and neurodiverse individuals.

A dancer and choreographer from Kampala, Uganda. His work expands our understanding of dance by combining performance practice with contemporary art and sculptural thinking. In his works, he blends various artistic traditions while addressing important social issues, particularly those concerning dominant perceptions of ability.

The artist uses his own body to create an original “dictionary of agency,” developing a movement practice based on diverse local and global dance traditions as well as somatic movement practices.

The performer’s work focuses on environments and societies where people identified as having disabilities are systematically marginalized. His work proposes new ways of understanding and redefining the concept of disability, striving to expand the language used to describe bodily experience.

The artist is engaged in the process of decolonizing dance as a language accessible to all, drawing on the diversity of experiences. Through aesthetic expression and the development of self-worth, he reflects on the boundaries and intersection of the concepts of ability and disability.

Joseph Tebendeke has collaborated with numerous institutions and artistic ensembles, including Axis Dance Company (USA), IntroDans (Netherlands), Monkey Mind Dance Company (Belgium), ANKATA (Burkina Faso), Dschungel Wien (Austria), and Unusual Beings (Poland). He has presented his work at numerous international festivals and events, including the Jomba Dance Festival in South Africa, Kampnagel in Hamburg, ImPulsTanz in Vienna, the Assitej Children’s Festival in Sweden, and other projects in Europe, Africa, and around the world.