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Share Your Darlings is a feedback format by Tanz Graz, established in 2013 and, after a hiatus of several years, resumed in 2023 and scheduled to happen twice a year. Over an intense weekend, participants gather to share their "darlings": ideas, fragments of pieces, or raw materials that are still unfinished, unstable, and fragile. It is therefore crucial to to provide a safe space in the feedback format where the darlings can thrive. Since 2023, a new collaboration with NAGIB, a collective of dance and performance artists from the nearby Slovenian city of Maribor, has been establshied. From now on, the Share Your Darling weekends will alternate between Graz and Maribor.
The Choreographic Platform Austria has spoken with a few of the protagonists: Monika Klengel and Christina Lederhaas (among others such as Veza Fernandez, Marta Navaridas, and Alina Stockinger) were co-founders of the format. Margret Hausegger is the managing director of Tanz Graz. Lilli Angermeier and Nimrod Poles are artists who have participated in one or more Share Your Darlings weekends.
Detailed interviews can be listened to via our audio player above. Below, you can find a selection of excerpts organized by theme.
Choreographic Platform Austria
When and why was the format Share Your Darlings created?
Christina Lederhaas
Share Your Darlings was first introduced in Graz in 2013. It was developed through interactions between several performance artists who were active in Graz at the time. We felt a lack of regular artistic exchange; everyone was busy with their own projects. We all had a strong interest in sharing more with each other during the process of developing our pieces.
Monika Klengel
We set up "Share Your Darlings" to provide dance in Styria with a stronger foundation. Back then, many were lone fighters working away on their own in their studios. Out of the need to get to know each other better in the rehearsal space, we invented this format.
Margret Hausegger
The concept emerged from the scene itself, created by artists who came together. Years later, we thought about reviving it because it was a very successful and exciting project.
CPA
What is the concept behind Share Your Darlings?
Monika Klengel
There are rules that set this format apart from other feedback formats. From the beginning, we agreed to show each other raw materials, our "darlings" that have been tucked away in drawers—things that feel like they could be valuable, that represent an interesting thought, movement, or theme. We wanted to show each other these rough diamonds and see how they resonate and what they trigger. Throughout, there has always been a very appreciative interaction among us. We want to help each other, not tear each other down with excessive criticism — which is also a known issue.
Lilli Angermeier
It's about the most raw elements. It’s about having an idea or something that you’ve always wanted to try out. That’s why it’s called "Darlings," as it often involves something dear to your heart, something you’d like to do or for which there’s only a vague idea initially. As far as I can recall, there were also many things that were very new and still unfinished.
Monika Klengel
It's not about nurturing young talent. It doesn’t matter how far along you are or how long you’ve been involved. And I think it’s good for the older participants too, to open themselves up again a bit.
Lilli Angermeier
What's special about this format is that all participants present their "darlings." This creates an extremely appreciative and mindful atmosphere. After all, it involves something very fragile and personal, and participants show their vulnerabilities. Because every person engages in this way, it fosters a very appreciative atmosphere. That's what I find particularly special about this format.
CPA
How can one imagine a Share Your Darlings weekend?
Monika Klengel
We see it as a working weekend, not a presentation weekend. Originally, when we had the full time, we would meet on Friday evening. There would first be a lecture, for example about feedback: what constitutes good feedback, and so on. And that evening, we would decide the order in which we would show our darlings. The next day, each person had half an hour, which was quite strict. You show something for fifteen minutes and then there's a discussion for fifteen minutes, timed by a gong.
Christina Lederhaas
We told each artist that they should define for themselves in what way they need their feedback. So, if someone needs answers to a specific question, then that's how it should be handled. Or if someone wants the audience to express what they've seen through dance without words, then that should be the approach. We didn't define this; instead, we asked to think carefully about what kind of feedback you might need for your process at the point you are at.
Margret Hausegger
Basically, each participant has fifteen minutes to show something, followed by fifteen minutes for feedback. We are very strict about adhering to this timing. The idea behind this is that those who are presenting should have specific questions for the others, which helps to narrow down or guide the feedback and specify what and why they want feedback on. This has worked out very well.
Nimrod Poles
It was very intense because we were there, if I'm not mistaken, for about eight hours per day. It was long, but it didn't feel tiring at all because there was so much going on. And there were discussions that were kind of heated in the best way possible because you have a group of people who are all in a devoted and dedicated to a certain form of art and share their points of view about it. And it was incredible in this sense.
Margret Hausegger
During these fifteen minutes, not everyone has the opportunity to speak. There are different personalities, some who speak up more often than others, or a topic might become very dominant, leaving no time for another. This led to the idea of enabling additional written feedback, which is not mandatory but voluntary. We resolved this by hanging up a clothesline with envelopes labeled with names. Throughout the weekend, anyone could drop in small feedback notes or letters of any kind. It can be nice to take these home and revisit these brief comments.
Monika Klengel
We always included musicians, architects, and visual artists as well, who come from completely different fields. We also collaborated through various networks and state organizations. It has become very interdisciplinary.
Margret Hausegger
In the past, each artist would invite a tandem from abroad or from another federal state. Now that we have the collaboration with Maribor, our tandems are automatically the artists from Maribor.
Nimrod Poles
It was a beautiful constellation because the artists in Graz all come from very different backgrounds. And same goes for the artists who came from Maribor. There also were more experienced performers and some less experienced performers. And something about the mix of all the different perspectives and ideas and opinions created a very supportive, very fruitful environment for performing arts to bloom.
CPA
What was the experience like to present a "Darling" yourself?
Christina Lederhaas
I think it was the first time I showed very raw sketches in a safe space. A safe space outside of my project team, that is.
Nimrod Poles
I shared a 15 minute version of my already existing solo that I created at Tanzhaus Graz. What happened is that after after each of us showed our own segment, every participant (sometimes there were duos or trios) first gave spoken feedback. It was all very, very good feedback. So it was a very immediate reactions to what people just saw, which was incredible because people just threw some ideas into the air. It was so creative and a kind of very free from: free from judgment because it was purely about what I just saw and what I thought maybe could be done differently, or what about this idea or that idea?
Lilli Angermeier
And what I took away for myself is the culture of feedback, that, how feedback can be given. To me that very interesting as well.