Been tryin’ to write about what happened last Sunday ever since, and finally today I had some free moments to express my feelings. Towards art, fashion, sound, and — most importantly — dancing.

Because what I saw was something from each, and more. One could call it psychological dancing; some would envision an experimental form of movement therapy from Japan. It’s all of this, and more.

It’s called Butoh, a form of artistic expression of the soul, which is beginning to have more and more followers across the globe, especially in Berlin, where Valentin Tszin is based. If you live in Berlin and Valentin Tszin sounds like a new name, then you were maybe sleeping under a rock or something for the past decade or so.

The new actor/dancer in all of this exquisite show was Theodore Matthews. With Eastern roots and Western mindset, he’s representing a new, amazingly fresh and intelligent generation — surprising in thoughts, very cultivated, giving lessons of being to all of the old souls out there.

I went to see Valentin because I know his capabilities, and I was taken completely by surprise by Theodore Matthews and Daniel Williams.

Valentin Tszin — an actor, performer, Butoh dancer, the head behind all of this — managed to orchestrate a show somewhere at the border of internal dancing, external sound, immersive fashion, light, and sound design.

You think you understood what I just wrote? Well, maybe not, because even I am still not sure of what I saw. And that was the whole concept behind the Icecream show — it was left for each and every one of us to have their own opinion about it.

Mine? Well, it touched every sensor in me. Audio, dance, images, lights, fashion — all extremely well thought out, and unfolding in a very cool, coquette environment provided by Theaterforum Kreuzberg. Nice public around me, too.

So — what I saw could be (only) my subjective interpretation, not even close to what others saw. I was talking afterwards with the actors/dancers/audience, who confirmed my feelings.

“…when we built the show we tried to create a conventional step-by-step narrative. […] The show in itself is not so easy to describe, and when you put it in a very conventional narrative context, it kind of diminishes its value. It becomes flat, a gimmick,” underlines Theodore Matthews.

Everybody has their own interpretation of it, but is there a base idea? — I wanted to know.

“There is a base choreography, and there is a lot of improvisation around it,” continues Theodore.

“A lot of it was kind of being thrown together. We were sitting right there at that table” (at a restaurant in Kreuzberg) “…and basically we had the entire show list written down on a cigarette paper (!) There was a lot of improv.”

I bet every show was different.

“Yeah, the first one was the first one we’ve ever done,” explains Matthews.

“It was fascinating working with Valentin, because he’s a master […] it was an absolute honor working with him. And it was such energy and such presence that he brings to every single workshop, and everything I had to do was to simply resonate,” says Theodore Matthews, with the modesty of a rising star — that’s what I saw in him from the beginning.

You weren’t exactly in his shadow, I stated. Because Valentin and Theodore Matthews, plus Professor Daniel Williams (the sound wizard), were like three entities complementing each other, bringing their own young and experienced energy to an audience profoundly touched by what they were witnessing.

If you think I am kidding, just go see their next performances, and you’ll get my point — even if it’s not the same show, but something totally new.

All of this intersecting energy was tied together by an ancient style of dancing — a very demanding one, because I already tried it — Butoh.

I really have to mention the remarkable music played live by Daniel Williams. He brought his own machines, synths, and knowledge to complete an already amazing show with his very well-crafted sounds.

There’s nothing without music, I would say. There is no existence without experimental art performance. And this is what I saw on Sunday evening: my objective opinion about a subjective audiovisual show, versus improv theatre, with the help of high-end costumes and dancing at its highest sensorial levels.

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Butoh
Butoh is an experimental form of Japanese dance-theatre that emerged in the late 20th century as a reaction against both Western modern dance and traditional aesthetics. It focuses on internal states, transformation, and the body as a site of memory and sensation. Butoh rejects fixed aesthetics and linear narratives, functioning instead as an open, evolving practice shaped by each performer’s physical and psychological experience.

Daniel Williams
Daniel Williams is a composer and theatre director from Edinburgh who has been based in Dresden for many years. His work focuses on live sound, dramaturgy, and experimental performance, often functioning as an integral, responsive layer within movement-based and interdisciplinary works.

Valentin Tszin
Valentin Tszin is a Russian-born actor, dancer, and performance artist based in Berlin, whose work is rooted in Butoh and physical theatre. He collaborates extensively across disciplines, including with electronic musician Dasha Rush, creating performances that merge movement, sound, and visual environments into immersive experiences.

Theodore Matthews
Theodore Matthews is a British-Russian visual artist and performer whose practice bridges painting, movement, and live performances. His work often unfolds through collaboration, where gesture, presence, and material action become central expressive tools.

words/concept/images: Florin Tulbure