M | Я

Where Does Peace Begin? M | Я between Body, Conflict, and Responsibility

SoBo Productions is a contemporary dance company based in Mannheim, founded and directed by Darja Reznikova. The company’s work emerges from a transdisciplinary practice in which movement, voice, sound, and space are inextricably intertwined. At its core lies Reznikova’s ongoing research into the so-called SoundBody Theory, which understands the body as a holistic system of resonance.

SoBo Productions creates visceral, immersive works that engage audiences both physically and emotionally. The productions revolve around questions of identity, perception, violence, propaganda, and social responsibility—always with the aim not of illustrating complex societal issues, but of making them experientially tangible.

3 TAGE FREI presents: M | Я (MIR)

M | Я is an abstract dance dialogue about peace, violence, and the relationship between the individual and the collective. The title is of Slavic origin and simultaneously means peace and world; the mirrored “Я” represents the self in the Cyrillic alphabet. Already in its name, the central questions of the work are condensed: Where does peace begin? And where does it end?

The piece was developed in close collaboration with dancer Maya Selezneva. The choreographic material and textual fragments are rooted in her own life story—personal experiences, imprints, and inner conflicts that stand as examples of broader social contexts. In this way, the individual becomes a resonant space for collective questions.

M | Я explores how global conflicts seep into personal attitudes, bodies, and relationships. Themes such as upbringing, propaganda, the loss of dialogue, and inner fragmentation are addressed alongside the possibilities of understanding and responsibility. In intense physical proximity, the work unfolds a choreographic engagement with violence as a learned pattern—and with peace as an active, fragile process.

Rather than understanding peace as the mere absence of war, M | Я conceives it as a conscious practice. The performance invites audiences to question their own beliefs, perceptions, and prejudices—and to reflect on individual responsibility within the social fabric.