We, 11.2.2026

15:00—16:20 Show

Schlachthaus Theater

Company MEK / Muhammed Kaltuk

Same Love (Site Specific)
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Laura Gauch | Dandonova | Dharizanov

Hip-Hop dance theatre
The politics of love
Empowerment
Tolerance
Diversity of experience

«Same Love (Site Specific)» is a site-specific dance piece by Muhammed Kaltuk / Company MEK. This Hip-Hop dance work celebrates the diversity of human experiences through dance and physical theatre, visualizing the political dimension of love. Seven dancers with different social, familial and cultural backgrounds bring their own stories of love, love relationships, intimacy and family to the stage. This results in powerful danced moments, expressive and emotionally charged images and a dramaturgically dense choreographic web encompassing their individual experiences and stories. «Same Love (Site Specific)» is not merely well-told and spectacular contemporary dance theatre, but an emotional plea for more acceptance, tolerance and empowerment!

Biography

Muhammed Kaltuk is a choreographer and performer. After several years on the Hip-Hop scene, he completed his dance training at the Academy of Contemporary and Urban Stage Dance in Zurich. In 2017, he founded the Company MEK, whose output merges Hip-Hop with contemporary dance. He also works regularly as a guest choreographer at various municipal theatres. There, he delivers sociopolitical statements on topics such as toxic masculinity (at the St. Gallen Theatre), provenance (at the Lucerne Theatre) and territories (at the Basel Theatre). From the 2026/27 season onwards, Kaltuk will direct the dance company of the Musiktheater im Revier in Gelsenkirchen, in addition to leading the Company MEK.

Letter of the company

It means a great deal to me that you have made your way to my new piece, Same Love.

With this performance, the dancers and I invite you to embark on a personal journey through love, family, fragmentation, misunderstandings, trauma, and hope. Together, we enter the vulnerable moments of our lives and open ourselves to the experiences that have shaped us and continue to shape us today.

In this piece, you will encounter dancers from Company MEK, each bringing their own story. Their individual experiences make this work unique. Yet in the end, they are all connected by love, this universal feeling that each of us experiences in our own intimate way.

Same Love is a deeply personal work based on my own experiences, expanded through the lived realities of the dancers. A significant source of inspiration was Şeyda Kurt’s book «Radikale Zärtlichkeit», which encouraged me to reflect on the political dimension of emotions.

Part of the performance includes a dance portrait of my parents, who migrated to Switzerland for work and faced everyday racism. These experiences shaped the way they expressed love and deeply influenced my childhood with my three siblings. All of this ultimately led me to ask: Is it even possible to create a piece about love that is not political?

Between tradition and societal expectations

There were many moments when my mother’s understanding of love stood in contrast to my own. Within Swiss society, I often feel misunderstood, as many around me struggle to grasp my reality.

Yet these differences pushed me to question and redefine my own notion of love. Through intense exchanges with the dancers, we have created a work that challenges the societal prejudices and norms that shape love and relationships.

Same Love celebrates the diversity of human experience: it portrays gender roles, breaks open stereotypes, and makes visible the many different forms that love can take. Same Love is more than a dance performance—it is an emotional statement for acceptance, tolerance, and empowerment.

I thank you sincerely, we look forward to sharing these moments with you.
With love,
Muhammed Kaltuk

Station 1 – 8 min / Station 2 – 4 min / Station 3 – 7 min / Station 4 – 30 min

Accessibility / Venues

This is a site-specific performance which takes place inside and outside. The audience moves from one location to the other under the guidance of the performers. The performance starts at the Schlachthaus Theater and its final location is the Aula in Progr.

The auditorium, foyer and theatre bar at Schlachthaus Theatre are wheelchair accessible. There is a wheelchair-accessible toilet on the ground floor.

The auditorium at Progr is accessible to wheelchair users via a wheelchair lift and passenger lift.

Childcare / Tuesday 11.2.2026

Going to the theatre with children, even when no children’s performance is being shown? For this performance, the free childcare service makes it possible.

Adults responsible for the children can leave kids up to the age of 10 in the care of the professionals from Gioia Cares and enjoy the performance without worries. During the childcare, children can choose from a wide range of activities such as playing, crafting, drawing, and letting off steam.

Childcare starts 30 minutes before the performance begins.
Registration: info@schlachthaus.ch. Free of charge.

Others pieces available for touring

Father Politics (2021) – 8 Dancers, 10x10m (can be adjusted), 60 Minutes
FivE (2019) - 1 Dancer, 8x8m (optimal), 12 Minutes

Booking Contact – Igli Mezini, iglimezini@companymek.com

Credits

Choreography Choreography in collaboration with dancers by Muhammed Kaltuk

Dancers Egon Gerber, Lea Korner, Ariadna Martinez Alcántara, Earle Garnette, Elina Kim, Sophie Gerber, Sheang-Li Pung

Dramaturgy Catherine Nakawesa

Music concept Gabriel Mareque, Muhammed Kaltuk

Music composition Gabriel Mareque

Contributors to the music recording Atilla Kocaay (Saz), Saadet Türköz (Vocals)

Costumes Gabriel Mareque

Rehearsal Director Egon Gerber, Sophie Gerber

Prodution & Company Manager Fabienne Guldimann

Assistant Production Manager Egon Gerber

Coproduction Kaserne Basel

Support Fachausschuss Tanz und Theater Baselland/Baselstadt, Kulturförderung Stadt Zürich, Sophie und Karl Binding Stiftung, Fachstelle Kultur, Kanton Zürich, Südkulturfonds, Gemeinde Reinach

Partnerships Tanzhaus Zürich, Tanzwerk101, Tanzwerk 3011, OFFDance

Venue

Schlachthaus Theater
Rathausgasse 20, 3011 Bern
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Dates/Tickets

11.2.2026, 15:00—16:20
Schlachthaus Theater
12.2.2026, 21:00—22:20
Schlachthaus Theater

Th, 12.2.2026

Fr, 13.2.2026

Sa, 14.2.2026