The series UNEXPECTED LESSONS – Knowledges of Body and Sound, which will take place from May 2026 to February 2027 at Radialsystem, explores the plural knowledge of dance, body, and sound. Interdisciplinary perspectives and practitioners from the African continent, the diaspora, and beyond will engage in dialogue with Berlin's dynamic dance scene.

The series’ focus is on the social and political dimensions of dance, knowledge systems in music, the body as a living archive, movement, and music as healing, social, spiritual, and cultural practice. In addition, decolonial perspectives on the body and dance are opened up, and practices of dance studies are critically negotiated. Performances, talks, listening sessions, and workshops transform knowledge into experience and movement.

The series is curated by Isabel Raabe (artistic director) and Celina Baljeet Basra (co-curator) and accompanied by Prof. Dr. Mariama Diagne.