Interview w/ Patricia Carolin Mai, MAI:COMPANY-Gründerin und Choreografin

Patricia Carolin Mai: “Every Body an Archive”

1. July 2025, Thomas Venker Kampnagel MAI:COMPANY Möglichkeitsraum Patricia Carolin Mai politisch Tanz unbequem

Patricia Carolin Mai (Photo: Heike Schluckebier)

Call to dance in “Rockoko”, a production at Kampnagel, Hamburg
Movement becomes discourse: MAI:COMPANY is an open dance collective for people of all backgrounds – a space for movement, encounters, and self-empowerment. The next round is starting: registration for the 2026 and 2027 productions is open from July 1 to 6, 2025, Rehearsals begin in September. Everyone can participate – no prior experience is required, and it’s free of charge. Spots are allocated by lottery.

Patricia, of all art forms, why did you choose dance?

Patricia Carolin Mai: Dance has always been the clearest form of expression for me. Even before I could speak, I communicated through movement. In dance, I find a directness and physicality that reveals thoughts, emotions, and social structures – without always having to translate them into language.

Do you have role models – both as a dancer and choreographer?

I deeply value artists who use the body to question society – like Alain Platel or Pina Bausch. I’m also inspired by activists, philosophers, and everyday people who are willing to throw their bodies into the discourse.werfen.

Stille Post (Photo: Tom Dachs)

Dance is often associated with discipline and hierarchy. Would you agree with that?

That image is unfortunately accurate – but it’s starting to crumble. I experienced the classical system myself, but I never functioned in it, and after some reflection, I no longer wanted to. My work is an attempt to explore other paths – ones where bodies are not disciplined, but emancipated and empowered.

You’re taking a different approach with your MAI:COMPANY – a company anyone can join, in theory. How did that idea come about?

I believe dance is a right – not an elitist practice. MAI:COMPANY is an artistic space where all bodies should be welcome. I want to create structures that make participation possible – radically open, yet artistically ambitious.

How democratic is this open-participation model really? What kind of talent, physical ability – and not least, time and money – are required? 

Of course, every person brings their own conditions. That’s the whole point: that you – no matter what you bring – are exactly right as you are! It’s not about technical perfection. For me, it’s always about making choices. And the first choice is: do I want to be part of this project? We try to break down barriers with free workshops, solidarity-based models, and flexible rehearsal times.

MAI:COMPANY, Patricia Carolin Mai (Photo: Tom Dachs)

Do the dancers get paid? 

That’s a key question we often discuss within the organizing team – especially regarding appreciation. Currently, we can’t offer payment. But we do provide professional guidance, physical-artistic development, a safe space for encounters, and the opportunity to make your personal story visible on stage. We know that’s not enough for everyone – which is why we’re working on long-term funding models to offer financial recognition as well.

For the production “ROCKOKO”, you chose the theme of the skirt (“Rock” in German). Why?

The skirt is a garment with history – a symbol of femininity, masculinity, resistance, conformity, or liberation, depending on the cultural context and era. In “Rockoko”, we explore the meanings, associations, and movement possibilities linked to this piece of fabric. How many people fit under one skirt? Which bodies, which stories? The skirt is not only a symbol but also a medium of movement – spinning, fluttering, swaying. It lifts, falls, opens borders, or conceals. From courtly skirts to school uniforms to drag performances, the skirt has always been both stage and boundary. How does a skirt dance? When does it become a burden, armor, or skin? The title “ROCKOKO” deliberately plays with “Rococo” – an era full of lavish splendor, gender codes, and courtly control. At the same time, the skirt in our production stands for collective self-empowerment.

Anne Kersting mit Teilnehmenden (Photo: Heike Schluckebier)

What role does Kampnagel play as a venue for you? 

Kampnagel is a space of possibilities. Here, art can be political, uncomfortable, yet also tender and accessible. For me, it’s a home for utopian work.

How do you choose the music for your pieces?

It often begins with a certain sound or frequency. I work a lot with experimental composers – currently especially with Fanis Gioles, whom I greatly admire.

Once again, directly asked: Can anyone really become a dancer? 

Yes – absolutely. The lottery system is a stance. Of course, it requires a willingness to engage. But it doesn’t require “talent” in the traditional sense. The training adapts to the people – not the other way around

What is taught in the workshops? 

We use methods from dance, bodywork, improvisation, and theory. It’s about developing trust in your own body, building presence, and researching together: What does movement mean to me – and to us as a group?

Participants of the dance and workshop weekend Open Lab share impressions:

Recap video of the MAI:COMPANY Open Labs, May 2025:

How do you experience the interplay of individual gestures and collective movement?

That’s exactly what my long-time dramaturg Anne Kersting and I focus on: understanding bodies as archives – with their individual stories, experiences, and possibilities. Within the group, this becomes a living space for exchange. It’s always a balancing act between self-determination and connection.

Do you personally enjoy dancing – for example, in clubs?

Absolutely! Club culture is a place of liberation for me. I love getting lost there without expectations or goals. Sometimes that’s where I find my best choreographic ideas.

How political do you find your work – and dance in general?

Dance is deeply political for me. The body is a site of power, normativity, and resistance. Whoever dances enters into a relationship with the world.

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Showreel vom Patricia Carolin Mai.