"TEACH ME NOT!" - a choreographic role-playing piece by Wojciech Grudziński

"TEACH ME NOT!" is a choreographic role-playing piece by Wojciech Grudziński and Maria Magdalena Kozłowska, exploring the dynamics of the relationship between student and teacher. The performance teeters on the edge of trust and dependency, admiration and resentment, forming a kind of tribute to students’ longing for the bittersweet memories of their mentors. In the absence of the teacher, the artists initiate a risky dialogue, raising questions about roles and expectations within the educational process:

"Are you a student in need of a good lesson, or a teacher looking for a willing pupil? Will you submit to this binary choice, or are you ready to reject it—resist conformity and deny it altogether?"

The TEACH ME NOT research proposal, centered on the concept of bodily subjectivity, draws on diverse references—including the figures of Mary Magdalene and Jesus—to explore multifaceted perspectives on the human body in the context of gender and sexuality, power dynamics, and self-determination. It is also a continuation of the artists’ inquiry into hierarchy, submission, and the category of acceptance.

At this stage, the project embraces multiple open trajectories and possible perspectives, including:
– the figure of the dance teacher and its repetitions in pop culture,
– the political dimension of discipline in arts education,
– power relations, audience gaze, the concept of discipline,
– the notion of dissent, and the queering of dance.

Zodiak – Center for New Dance is a renowned contemporary dance center in Helsinki. It is a space dedicated to experimental and innovative forms of dance, offering performances, workshops, and residency programs for artists. Zodiak plays a key role in both the Finnish and European contemporary dance scenes, promoting the work of both established choreographers and emerging talents. The center organizes performances, workshops, artist residencies, and festivals—such as the Side Step Festival, which attracts international artists.