The Glory of It
Saskia Hamala & Leonard Exner
Outside Eye
Overview
The Glory of It is a contemporary dance duet by Saskia Hamala and Leonard Exner exploring the beauty of fleeting moments, presence and human encounter. Developed through a collaborative creative process beginning in 2023, the work reflects on time, space and the fragile intensity of shared experience.
The piece embraces openness and mutual listening. Leonard Exner, a dancer with Trisomie 21, contributes his artistic perspective as an integral part of the creative process, where diversity is present without becoming the subject of the work itself.
Premiere: FUSIONEN Festival – Projekttheater Dresden
Dresden · Germany · May 2024
Documentation
Context and Artistic Process
The Glory of It emerged from an extended process of artistic exchange between choreographer Saskia Hamala and performer Leonard Exner. The work investigates how movement can create spaces of encounter beyond fixed narratives, allowing different bodies, perceptions and experiences to coexist through dance.
The choreographic language privileges subtle physical dialogue, breath, stillness and attentive presence. The performance unfolds as a poetic meditation on impermanence, where intimacy and openness become the central dramaturgical forces.
As Outside Eye, I accompanied the creative process by providing external artistic feedback throughout rehearsals. My role focused on observing the evolving dramaturgy, supporting compositional decisions and helping refine the relationship between movement, rhythm and spatial perception while preserving the authenticity of the performers’ dialogue.
The project was developed within the framework of FUSIONEN, a festival dedicated to inclusive artistic practices that supports collaborations between artists with and without disabilities through process-oriented creation.
Credits
The Glory of It
Contemporary Dance Duet
Concept, Choreography & Performance — Saskia Hamala
Co-Creation & Performance — Leonard Exner
Outside Eye — German Ivancic, Johannes Blattner
Rehearsal Support & Cover Performer — Lisa Kistenmacher
Costume Design — Ulrike Mischke
Lighting Concept — Saskia Hamala
Lighting Support — Simon Exner
Technical Realisation — Alexander Schmidt
Photography & Film — Andreas Kustreba
Produced within — FUSIONEN Festival – Projekttheater Dresden