In Hajusom they grow and merge into each other, they come from different continents and meet in one place.   Maimuna Kamara, Sierra Leone

Since 1999 this place called "Hajusom" has existed in Hamburg. Here, especially juvenile and young adult refugees and migrants from the most diverse countries of origin in Africa, Asia and Europe come and work together. As a trans-national art project, Hajusom brings together people who are active citizens of a complex globalised world yet who bear within themselves their own individual maps. They are protagonists obliged to turn their backs on their national outlooks and make migration visible as a central force for social change. In their role as artists, they now recreate their own experiences and present them in various formats: In theatre performances, video and CD productions, space installations and texts.

Since its foundation and in the context of its art and research projects some extending over several years, Hajusom has dedicated itself to the subjects of fleeing troubled areas and migration in the globalisation era. The project permits its actors to develop their own language capable of transporting their experiences, their knowledge and their dreams. In addition when working together, various forms of art and indeed of communication are researched and developed which are exemplary for the process whereby national borders are losing their meaning in a world going through a period of upheaval.

We have to get used to the idea that our identity is fundamentally changed by contact with others, just like their identities change through contact with us, without the one or the other denaturalising themselves or dissolving themselves in a multicultural magma. Edouard Glissant

In the meaning as described above, Hajusom is concerned with the concept of a deep cultural mixture: As a microcosm, Hajusom is effective as a utopian space where in a process of collective artistically creative work, such a concept of (inter) relations can be achieved as a contrast to political, cultural and religious dominance.

The working methods which have been developed at Hajusom over the course of its existence represent constantly advancing experimentation with the aspiration of achieving decisions together - as a collective. For the three professional artists who manage and run the project as a team with varying guest artists, this means that they do not speak for the refugees and migrants or represent them. Instead together with them they search for forms to achieve mutual representations, to find the interfaces between their artistic experience - from an affinity with the tradition of performance theatre extending over many years - and the abilities and interests of the people who come to Hajusom, matched with the requirement to work on a political level.
In terms of practical work this means that every new production is discussed conceptually with the participants, regular feedback rounds ensure that everybody understands and contributes to the artistic process.
The reflection of political dimensions is always an important part of the content debate, current incidents of German and European asylum politics are discussed and partially included. Furthermore, those members of the group that are threatened by expulsion from the country are supported with special activities.
Continuity is both a constant requirement of such an intensive discourse and the implementation of professional productions. Therefore Hajusom works throughout the whole year. Only because of that it has been possible to build up a group whose core trains regularly, has stage experience and, moreover, has dealt with various forms of art different from that of performance theatre.

Since summer 2007 Hajusom extends and gives workshops: some of the young members of the group - those who have been learning here already for several years - are the facilitators. They go to schools and other youth-institutions, where they meet young migrants, who were born in Hamburg. These are invited to join Hajusom after having participated in the workshop. Part of the program is to get to know the skills of a performance artist (acting, improvisation, dancing) as well as the forms of communication in a transnational group of artists - with all the rules that have been established in Hajusom throughout the years.

HA-JUS-OM
The first syllables of the names of three young refugees have given the group its name. Their histories speak for themselves in this context: HAtice, a young Kurdish woman, was expelled shortly after her application; JUSef, an important leading actor, has fled to another European country because of his hopeless asylum application; OMid from Iran is also not participating anymore, because he was threatened to be expelled; his present residence is unknown. Hajusom, having been the title of the first production, became the group's name and functions as some sort of an incantation of power for the group. Those three eponymous youths who, together with the artistic directors, had applied for an intercultural theatre project of three months with the cultural authority in Hamburg can be proud of the career of Hajusom.

 
 
Ella Huck

Born in 1965 in Hiltrup / Westfalen, trained as carpenter (final examine in 1988), initialized various off-theatre-projects; 1988 to 1990 trained as dancer in 'rebel-Tanz-Studio' in Münster, toured in Italiy, Swizzerland and France (Asfalt Theater). Trained as an actress by Jacques Lecoq at 'Ecole Internationale de Théâtre' in Paris (1990-92).

Examples for her works:

1992   Cymbeline by W. Shakespeare, Théâtre de la Fillette / Paris; Festival de Luzège, Frankreich

1993   Bouffon du Mystère, Solo Improvisationtheatre, u.a. Theater am Turm / Frankfurt, Comedia / Köln, TV-Doku in WDR

1994   Helden schenken sich ihren Frauen ganz, eine deutsche Groteske, FUCHS-Produktion, Koproduktion Theater im Pumpenhaus / Münster, Teilnahme am Festival Theaterzwang / Dortmund

1995   Erwürgt sie! (nach 'escorial' von Michel de Ghelderode), Berlin, Koproduktion Theater im Pumpenhaus / Münster

1996   Kuß und Biß, eine literarische Performance mit dem Musiker Jan Klare, Koproduktion Kreativhaus / Münster
Konzept/Regie für Miss Marple's Erbinnen, in Zusammenarbeit mit der Tänzerin Regine Biermann, Kooperation Kreativhaus/ Münster

1997   Konzept/Regie Helga in den Stürmen der Zeit, Maskentheaterstück Kooperation mit Kreativhaus / Münster
Solo Haut:\Riss, eine Multimedia-Performance, FUCHS- Produktion, Koproduktion Theater im Pumpenhaus, u.a. Teilnahme 7. Internationale Tanzwoche Dresden Sacral Essenz,

1998-99   7 ½ Monate mit dem Liegerad durch die USA und Mexiko, Recherche u.a. für das Solo Wo ist zuhause Mama

Since 99   Inititializes Hajusom, since then she is one of three artistic directors

2001   Wo ist zuhause Mama. Eine Expedition mit Ella Huck, FUCHS- Produktion, Koproduktion Pumpenhaus / Kunstakademie Münster.

 
 
Claude Jansen

Born 1964 in Dorsten / Westfalen, 1986 studies Sinology at the University Hong Kong; 1987 founded 'Tyatro Saz Rock', a Turkish/Germann Music-Theaterformation in Frankfurt/Main; 1988 Dramaturgical assistence at Staatstheater Wiesbaden; followed by dramaturgical and directing works in various music-theatre-productions in the off-scene in Frankfurt/Main (Theaterhaus, Gallus Theater, Brotfabrik)

Studies Angewandten Theaterwissenschaft in Giessen (Diplom 1995); with main subject in Performance-Theater and Cultural Studies (she visited various countries in Africa). Founded the performance-group 'She She Pop' and also performed with them (1993 - 2001). Since 1996 she lives in Hamburg. Also works as a free-lance dramaturgue and author.

Performance works u.a.: dramaturgische Begleitung verschiedener Peformance- und Tanzproduktionen in Zusammenarbeit mit u. a. Jochen Roller, Matthias von Hartz, Angela Guerreiro, Showcase beat le Mot.

Publications u.a.: Die flashen die Styles, (Eine Nacht im Golden Pudel Klub) Hamburg 1999; Erzähl mir vom Leben (Reportage, Frauenportraits in acht Ländern: Gambia, Israel, Jemen, Indien, USA, Russland, Bolivien und Japan), Bern 2003.

From 1996 - 2000 resident DJ im Golden Pudel Klub, Hamburg.

Since 2000 she works in the artistic team of Hajusom.

 
 
Dorothea Reinicke

Born 1951 in Hamburg, Studies German literature and history in Freiburg, Vienna and Hamburg (Magister 1980). 1980 Founder of the First Women' s Pub in Hamburg. Since then she works as a free-lance as actress, performer, and singer; in the following years she studies with Jeffrey Bihr / Drama Studio of London, Berkeley (acting); Gilles Petit, Paris (northindian Raga und modale improvisation); Ingrid Kremling, Musikhochschule Hamburg (classical singing); Bonnie Showers, San Diego (Body-Voice-Fusion). Concepualizes and produces since 1993 interdiszipliny projects, mostly in Co-Production mit Kampnagel / Hamburg. Since 1988 she also works as an off-speaker in TV.

Productions (selection):

1993   Solo-Performance/Konzept Das unheimliche Lied. Black Schubert, Regie: Bonnie Showers, Co-Produktion Kampnagel / Hamburg

1994   Konzept/Regie Helden schenken sich ihren Frauen ganz, eine deutsche Groteske, Co-Produktion Theater im Pumpenhaus / Münster

1995   Konzept/Performance Mein Herzensadolf! Liebesbriefe an den Führer, Co-Produktion Kampnagel / Hamburg

1996-1997   Konzept/Regie Haut:/Riss: Eine Körpervorstellung, Multimediale Performance, Co-Produktion Theater im Pumpenhaus / Münster

1998   Performance in Jan Linders Brecht-Messe für Städtebewohner, Festival Junge Hunde, Kampnagel-Produktion

2001   Regie Wo ist zuhause Mama. Eine Expedition mit Ella Huck, Co-Produktion Theater im Pumpenhaus / Münster in Co-Operation Kunstakademie Münster

1999   Inititializes Hajusom, since then she is one of three artistic directors

 
 
Johnny Lloyd (associated artist)

Johnny Lloyd has been a musician and poet his whole life, starting with trumpet at eight. He studied Jazz and Classical Music at Fullerton College in Orange County and poetry at the University of California, Irvine. He started dancing after seeing street dancers doing Lindy Hop at a Jazz concert. In 1996 he started teaching dance in San Diego where he developed the Lindy Hop scene as San Diego's first Lindy Hop teacher. While continuing to produce music and poetry he intensely studied early Jazz Dance and the early forms of Hip Hop (Boogaloo, Popping) and became a sought after teacher in Lindy Hop and Vintage Swing Jazz. He now teaches and performs full time internationally, having taught regularly across Europe and the States for ten years.

In San Diego and Los Angeles Johnny choreographed for television and film and now actively choreographs and coaches for theaters, dance troupes, and performers in Europe. As a teacher he is known for his insight into the students state of mind and his intuitionally improvised class structure. As a dancer and choreographer he is characterized for his combination of forms, using vintage jazz and old school hip hop and his own poetry and music. As a person he is known for his overdeveloped devotion to practicing and ambition to perfect the combination of motion arts he uses. He is the first person to thoroughly combine the movement arts of popping and contact juggling, having been inspired by the isolations and waves independently existing in the two forms

He says his greatest talent is faking, making people believe he has a talent even if he doesn't. Well, whatever he says, he makes great music, cleverly combining elements from jazz, funk, soul and techno into an enjoyable experience.