My name is Charly Wenzel and I'm a dancer, choreographer, director, and award-winning filmmaker from Germany.

I'm thrilled to have been invited to show my Dance Theatre piece "Human-Layers of Identity" at The Spark Theater Festival in NYC this April. I've been working on this piece consistently for the past three years with yearly work in progress showings at Theater for the New City. I'm excited to take this work to the next level!

Photo: Apple Tsai, Ryoka Matsumoto, Nea Somogyi, Eleanna Fin, Gözüm Pul, Lucila Tolis, Charly Wenzel

However, I can't do this without your help!

Producing a show as an independent artist is very challenging.

The money raised in this campaign will help me pay the performers, the composer, the photographer, as well as for costumes, props and rehearsal space.

Any donation, no matter the size, will bring me closer to sharing my artistic vision with YOU and the rest of our audiences.

About the work:

"Human-Layers of Identity" features a cast of eight female performers from eight different countries. The work asks questions about Identity from an evolutionary, as well as from a social perspective.

For years I've been curious about the source of a seemingly growing divisiveness amongst people. What makes us hostile towards "the other" and how can we be reminded of and find renewed appreciation for our shared humanity and the rich tapestry of human diversity?

Photo by Max Martinez; Lucila Tolis, Efemena Alibo

This work blends dance, music and spoken word. It is created in collaboration with the performers, featuring Efemena Alibo (Nigeria), Eleanna Fin (Greece), Leyla Hadi (Pakistan), Gözüm Pul (Turkey), Nea Somogyi (Costa Rica), Lucila Tolis (Argentina), Apple Tsai (Taiwan) and Ileann (Mexico) with original music by Naz Karagöz (Turkey).

Please help us bring "Human-Layers of Identity" to the Spark Theater Festival this Spring!

With gratitude,

Charly and Cast

Photo: Max Martinez; Gözüm Pul, Leyla Hadi

"The production’s choreography is a meticulously crafted blend of individual and collective narratives, offering a window into the personal journeys of the performers while weaving together a larger story of resilience, empathy, and the quest for common ground."

The Globe and Mail