This is an oft-repeated phrase in the relatively new German capitol. Another truism is that Berliners know how to utilize the spaces—those filled by buildings, those newly open after buildings have been demolished, and those sites in the process of being filled by new construction.

Bodies In Urban Spaces is a unique movement (dance? installation?) piece that ran as apart of the wildly successful Tanz im August (Dance In August http://www.tanzimaugust.de/2009), annual festival of movement that invades Berlin every summer. Bodies In Urban Spaces showed even the most jaded Berliner new ways of using spaces in the city. The piece was created by Willi Dorner and Lisa Rastl. (For more information and cool pictures, see: http://www.ciewdorner.at.).

I went to the over-built, over-populated-by-tourists, post-construction site Postdamer Platz, where the piece was to begin. At fifteen minutes before the start, I felt like the only spectator standing around. At three minutes before, I noticed a gathering mob of artsy-looking Berliners. This mob was clad in very thought-out Bohem attire—clearly artists with a fashion edge and point of view. The skies threatened rain. We were all hoping to remain dry through the performance.

All of a sudden the crowd began to move—and move quickly. I heard various shrieks and “Aw’s” as I noticed a performer who had wedged himself between a wall and a sign at the entrance of the Potsdamer Platz S-Bahn station. The crowd, which had grown to…what…several hundred by now, rushed ahead to see what was next.

We all rushed through the station on a visual treasure hunt for bodies in amazing and unique formations. When the show moved outside of the station, the sky had opened and Berlin (and the audience) was getting drenched. The performers forged on until one of their number mercifully tapped another on the shoulder and waved his finger in the International Symbol of “no more”. We looked around for shelter, found a cute bar called Caroshi (http://www.caroshi.info/), and ducked inside for a dry drink.