Haifischdisko (AT)

Pumping beats, catchy melodies, unmistakable dance moves – in the early 1970s, a musical wave sweeps across the capital of southern Bavaria: Disco! It engulfs the entire city and, from there, spreads globally – across the country, the continent and the world.

With “Love to Love You Baby”, Donna Summer makes her mark not only on a generation but on an entire movement. “Fly, robin, fly, up up to the sky”, sings Silver Convention in 1975 and becomes the first German band to have a number one hit in the US charts. Jimi Hendrix plays a concert in the Big Apple in Schwabing; Boney M. hang out at Müller’s public swimming baths; and the clubs and bars of Munich’s nightlife are pulsing with energy. Munich: the epicentre of the disco movement!

Joana Tischkau works as an artist, choreographer and director. In her choreographic practice, she interweaves and engages with discourses around racism, feminism, popular culture and Black German identity – without resorting to didacticism. With her first production at the Münchner Kammerspiele, she is continuing her research for the Deutsches Museum für Schwarze Unterhaltung und Black Music (German Museum for Black Entertainment and Black Music) and casting a spotlight on the essence of the early disco movement as it emerged in 1970s Munich.

“God had to create disco music so I could be born and be successful.” – Donna Summer