KDV Performance Group/Kianí Del Valle "INSTRUCCIONES PARA EXISTIR"
9 September at 17:30
13 September at 19:00
FREE ADMISSION
Direction, Concept & Choreography: Kianí Del Valle
Original Sound Score: Devonté Hynes
Assistant Choreographer & Dramaturg: Ruben Nsue
KDV Producer: Bence Ungvari
KDV Production Intern: Athena Lewis
Choreography: Kianí Del Valle, in collaboration with performers of KDV Performance Group and Gravity Stunts Berlin
Stunt coordination: Ronny Horning & Kim Ruhnau
Styling: Lenni Bubi
Styling assistance: Lea Wallkötter
Performers: KDV Performance Group and Gravity Stunts Berlin | Shannon Leypoldt, Sebastian Abarbanell, Taylor Unwin, Amanda Donato, Antony Nahkle, Shar Adams, Zoe Afan Strasser, Keilan Stafford, Andrea V Vargas, Mahalia Horvath, Samia Hofman, Helga Hartman
PERFORM! is curated by Klaus Biesenbach, Director of the Neue Nationalgalerie, together with Lisa Botti, Curator at Neue Nationalgalerie, and Gregor Quack, Volkswagen Group Curator.
The American Academy in Berlin is a partner of PERFORM! 2026.
Inspired by Trisha Brown’s Walking on the Wall, the KDV Performance Grouptransforms the rooftop of the Neue Nationalgalerie into a vibrant, site-specific stage for the captivating outdoor performance in INSTRUCCIONES PARA EXISTIR (INSTRUCTIONS FOR EXISTING). Directed and choreographed by Kianí Del Valle, and with an original score by Devonté Hynes, the piece reimagines the architectural space as a dynamic tableau where an avant-garde dance ensemble intersects with the disciplined formations of a tactical unit, creating a striking contrast between artistic expression and militarized order. Originally inspired by a short fictional text by Del Valle set in the year 3036, the piece envisions a future where nostalgia and the memory of our past selves are entirely erased, and militarization permeates everyday life, with routine tasks framed through the lens of militia. The performance explores the fragile tension between control and chaos, the organic and the militant, as well as authority and resistance. Through this juxtaposition, it confronts fundamental questions of power, surveillance, human connection, and the urgent need to preserve love, vulnerability, and collective memory.
Kianí Del Valle is a performance artist based between Berlin and Los Angeles. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, she has spent over two decades developing a transdisciplinary practice that blends contemporary dance, visual arts, film, installation and sound. Her work encompasses direction, choreography, dramaturgy, stunt acrobatics, and method acting.
Del Valle’s body of work explores the human condition and the complexities of existence, weaving themes of science fiction, hauntology, metaphysics, and psychology. Her creations are crafted through ritual, intuitive movement, and physical endurance, viewed through the lens of surrealism, mysticism, and dystopian realities. After developing a solo repertoire of over 22 pieces, Del Valle founded the KDV Performance Group in Berlin, where she expands on the themes of her solo practice within ensemble work for theatrical, cinematic, and site-specific settings. Her work has been presented at prestigious venues worldwide such as Barbican London, Getty Museum Los Angeles, Performance Space NYC, Volksbühne Berlin, Serpentine Gallery London, and Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico. In recent years, Kianí’s solo work as well as performances with KDV Performance Group have been invited to various global festivals.
INSTRUCCIONES PARA EXISTIR (INSTRUCTIONS FOR EXISTING) is co-commissioned by the Neue Nationalgalerie and TONO, with support from Nike Sportswear | Nike Air Max Liquid & Studio Fleece.