ArsRhenus Journal 2020

Interview via phone, June 2020

Magali Dahan, thank you for taking the time for this interview. Due to the Corona issues and travel restrictions we unfortunately can't meet face to face but constrained to conduct the interview via phone. You are living in Paris and you are a very well known international dancer, singer and choreograph and also the founder and owner (together with Maryan Rousset) of Magma Show Paris. Magma Show Paris usually presents glamorous revue shows. But nowadays?

Magali, what is your family background and what brought you to Paris?

“So, my family background: my father used to work in the business of steel and metal. He was travelling a lot, was a businessman. My mum, she took care of us, my sister and me. My brothers and sisters, they are in a total different business than me. One is a lawyer, one is an economist one is working in an administrative office. So, I am a real, how you say “extra-terrestre” in this family with my artistical choice, which came straight from my heart and this is exactly what brought me to Paris. I chose that city to go on with my studies after being at at the conservatory of dancing and other private dancing schools since I was five years old in Luxembourg. After my degree at school I wanted to go on with this dancing. I wanted to learn to sing and to act and I chose Paris, you know, because I didn’t really know a lot about the business and didn’t know where to start from . I knew that Paris was a great, fantastic, big city quite developed. Developed in the musical business so this is what drove me to beautiful Paris.”

You started your dancing carrier at the age of 5 years and when we met last time in New York City you were still taking lessons and trainings in dancing and singing. Have you ever thought: " It's ok now. I do not need any other lesson"?

“Ok, so there are two things: very first thing is that , as an artist,I truly believe that we are never done with learning . I mean there is always such a huge path. It’s like infinite what we can learn. So in my opinion it will never finish being it singing or dancing. I mean I go on learning and finding out and being curious about all this stuff every day. Every single day I want to understand and learn more, so this is the first thing for an artist. I think that we never finish to learn and the second thing is that I’m a real bulimic of learning new things. Especially concerning my passion which is the music and I go more and more far in my researches and my tastes do change and evolve. In the beginning I liked the musical business and the pop music and the more I go on the more I also start to dig and be interested in jazz , blues and soul music.  Also into classical music and I started another new school last year. You know, I was of course taking classes in New York, but here in Paris I never stopped to go to new teachers and take new workshops and read about what is new and about the new techniques .Last year I started a new school. Jazz school in Paris. Which of course is not so easy for me to go every day, because I am very often in foreign countries for my shows and on cruises and here and there on tour - so I manage to do this from far. You know,like getting all the classes by correspondence and now with the lockdown it was very easy because I could have all my lessons by skype, and by video conference, which was amazing and so I learn about the jazz, about the techniques, the singing techniques, the scat (Anm. Red.: Scat: short syllables on jazz music), the improvisation. I learn about the history of all this. About the theory. I start also now to learn about the theory of music and all this things, which many singers in general in France are not really into and many very good singers can do their career without even going in this theory thing, but I really feel now the need and the real desire to understand more about everything. So I do this and also very new thing is that I started to learn the guitar and the piano. I started the guitar with this jazz school so half a year ago and the piano I started now. So yes, I’m very happy to go on at learning and I’m just frustrated about the day having only 24 hours, because otherwise I could spend so many more hours into my passion for music.”

Corona may become the "unword" of 2020, but for sure it is and will be a big problem for the next time for all artists in the world and shows like yours (as it is by the way also for Hollywood and the movie theatres). What does this situation mean to you (and Magma Show Paris) and your colleagues? Is there any support from your government? What is your expectation? What are your fears?

“I think I’m quite lucky for being a very optimistic person in each and every situation. I’ve been like that since forever and until now and I will go on . I always try and find the positive thing even if the situation is very bad. I always believe that there is some positive thing to take out of each situation. I’m very optimistic and really for me, this lockdown, this moment without work is and has been a wonderful opportunity to make some dreams come true. Like starting to play the piano, it was the moment to finally find the time for many things that I would love to do since forever and that I never found the time for since I started with the business and it was like a great cause. I had a lot of work all the time and I created Magma Show Paris, which gave me work each and every single day, because if it was not on stage it was on creation, so, I never had enough time to do other things in the musical business which I wanted to do for myself. So, this lockdown offered me not a salary, but offered me a huge present which was time, which is still time, because even there is no more lockdown, we are of course not working for the moment. I don’t feel any kind of fear for the moment. I think that everything happens for a reason and I mean Magma Show Paris. We have been renovating and we are still. The whole project, the whole show is like if we were renovating totally an apartment. We have been working 6 days a week since the beginning of the lockdown on video conference with my tour associates on each and every single show we’ve been reconstructing everything. We’ve been rethinking every music, every choreography. We will recreate together with my associates many of the choreographies which now are getting a little bit old maybe. Our shows are already ten years old. We are talking about, the transitions into the shows and new plans to reach out for more clients and the costumes to change, to make them look better. I mean we’ve been doing this huge job for Magma Show - we are still continuing to work on it and when the world will be able to wake up again and have some shows and theaters can open again, we will be more than ready and this is awesome, so I have no time nor energy to put into fears. I have more important things to do and to put my energy into and we have the great chance, I mean, we are very lucky in France because, yes, we have support from our government. And this is really precious because we are the as we call it “intermittent du spectacle”. So if you are working in the professional business and that you can show that you worked, I mean, we have to show that we worked 43 gigs in a year and with this we have the status of “intermittent du spectacle” with which we have some support. So even when we don’t work we get some money from the government. Of course while we get this money, we have to go on working, but now this situation is really exceptional, so we hope that they will support us as long as possible. So this is, wow, this is amazing because without this help it would be very difficult of course. Unfortunately everything has been cancelled for Magma Show Paris. Everything that we had now during this summer and also now they start to cancel everything for the winter. I mean we’ve had our biggest tour that we do every year in France in Nov and Dec being cancelled 2 days ago. I should also have given some workshops in Luxembourg and in the east of France in July some musical workshops to kids and young ladies. Workshops of dancing, singing, acting, musical and these have also been cancelled. I was now supposed to be in New York. I would be sitting in New York now performing with Adrienne. As you know it’s also been cancelled. But well these shows have been postponed to October, which I really hope will happen. That would be awesome. And for my colleagues, yes for them it’s the same situation for everyone. I mean some people are maybe less optimistic. I mean they are optimistic, but some are more into a fear or anxiety and ask themselves when the business will reopen. I just want to be trustful about the future and I think that it will reopen when it will reopen and it will be the right moment and this is what I want to believe in. This is me. Around me we have different cases. Some think like me, some are more into trying to think about another career for the moment. So yeah, it’s random, there are many different reactions to this.”

You were on tour last year. On a world tour. On a cruise ship. Tell us about the highlights and the days you may want to forget. If there were any of those days?

“The world tour on the ship,you say last year but I was also this year. So, I'll make a bit of a mix

so both: Last year I went for 4 months, this year I only accepted to do the half because I didn’t want to be away for so long. So I went for the world tour for 2,5 months. The highlight and the day I will never forget, okay I must tell you honestly there is no day that I'll ever forget, even if I’m like every human being. I have some bright days and some more dark days but the dark days, they make the bright days being bright. So I would not change anything about this world tour which was an amazing experience. I’ve been able to see so many countries, places I couldn’t even imagine to dream about. I mean I’ve been discovering a lot of places in a short time. I’ve been mainly discovering and getting to know awesome people from all over the world and you know how curious I am, how human. I love the human being and I love to know about other cultures, other point of views. Yeah, I’ve been very close to crew members from all over the world. From many different jobs. Being it from the same job than me, guest artists from all over the world, but also crew members from other jobs, can be a baker, a waiter, a cleaner. And also I have been very close to many passengers. Passengers who were mostly between 50 and 75, I would say and yeah, I got very close to many of them and that was really fantastic. You know this human part which I already miss and I miss it since the very first second when I disembarked from the ship. And then, one of the highlight of course are my performances. I was every day with the pianist performing on the ship and I had this year the opportunity to do two one woman shows. I mean, it was planned to do one and then, it was awesome, I don’t know. I had a reaction from the audience, I could even cry because I didn’t expect anything like this, like the whole place was standing up. I got standing ovations which never happened in my life. I mean not for my own show. When I was in a big production, I might have experienced that feeling- but it was different as it wasn’t my own show which I created from A to Z . This was so unexpected so, wow, I had goosebumps and few days later they announced me on the ship that there were many passengers asking for me to do a second one woman show , I was disembarking three weeks later, so I had only two and a half weeks to create a new show and present it and it was, wow, it was of course a huge stress because I didn’t want to disappoint them after this big first success and I also wanted to have enough time to do it and to create and to prepare something brand new with the same energy. So,, this was for sure one of the highlights doing these two shows . The second show had exactly the same warm welcoming of the audience. I was performing the first show with musicians and dancers that were performing onboard. The second show I did on my own.

Concerning the highlights of the places I’ve seen -for me is Tahiti.

Tahiti, in which I’m really in love with.”

You also had a premiere last year at international Cabaret Star Adrienne Haan's show "BERLIN, MON AMOUR" in New York City. A very 'unique' and intimate show with great personal commitment. Any impressions what makes this show different from your show on the cruise ship or in comparison to a Magma Show? Is there a difference?

“Yeah, it’s sure that it was a very unique and intimate show with a very personal commitment as you say. Yes, it’s very different from what I do in Magma Show and also quite different from my shows on the ship. First of all being on stage with only one woman which is also my friend didn’t happen ever before. I had already a trio show with two friends of mine and yes, many people and many friends of mine at Magma Show that I’m on stage with. In 'Berlin, mon Amour’ it t was very different because there was a real story. There was a character to defend a role. There was some research to do about 1920s in Berlin which was the Weimar Republic . What could this young, which I was playing the role of , feel ? What does she want to express, who is she? I was less Magali on the stage which I am when I perform mostly in my Magma Show and in my one woman show. There I am just me with my personal feelings and of course I also have my personal feeling when I’m on stage with Adrienne, but it was more about this character and this whole story. So there was this whole acting part which I have less in my shows. It was extremely interesting. It was, wow, I was very scared before going on stage because it was New York City. It was my first show in New York and secondly yes, when I read the script I thought okay, I have to put all my shyness on the side now and be very brave., I had to ut all my fears and doubts away . The plot was about a love story between two women. There were also some parts which were daring, you know. I had to take some risks which I’m not used to and I adored it I must say . It was amazing , breathtaking and it was so challenging but I loved it !It gave me a big amount of adrenalin and this is exactly what we artists are looking for . I truly adored that experience. First of all because Adrienne had been an amazing stage partner. Already the rehearsals were such a great moment, you know, at her home.But from the first show on ( which actually happened on my birthday :)) I was of course super excited, but also I was very, very stressed before, because I wanted to do that first NYC show perfectly. But from the first second on the great atmosphere, the energy was just there in the audience, in that place, in that TRIAD theater which is also filled with such a good vibe. So I’m talking a lot now because this ‘Berlin, Mon Amour ‘ experience will stay forever like a very important page of my professional but human life. I will never forget this for sure. And of course, what also made the show totally different from what I do in Magma Show or on the cruise ship is that I didn’t choose what I would sing and what I would defend. As I am still part sometimes of other shows and productions here in Paris.(as I was taking part in musicals and cabarets) what happens there is that they are giving me parts to learn and to sing which I didn’t choose. But now I’m mostly doing my own shows. So I choose the songs, I choose everything and here ,of course, I had to interpret this songs that Adrienne chose for me and for the show and it was a very nice challenge. I adored it. I also sang in German for the very first time, it never happened to me before and I have to say I adored, singing “Wenn ich mir was wünschen dürfte”.It was one of the highlights. Also I was singing this song alone and , I have a very good memory of this.”

If you could look into the future, Magali, where do you want to be professionally in 10 years from now? What are your future plans and whishes?

“Well now I really started to go into this music thing. I’m totally into it I’m spending hours and hours every day on my guitar and on my piano. Of course Magma Show will stay Magma Show. It is my first baby,it’s our baby and it will just grow up and it will just become more and more beautiful. But maybe I will not be on stage every time - as already now I’m not on stage all the time. Sometimes my team can just perform without me and I’m more in the creative part .I am right there, not far , you know, the baby can walk and evolve on itself. So me I would like to go more into my own career, into this music now , my music . I’m starting to compose. I never learned to do so, but I started when I was a child. I had a small piano and I don’t know how I started to compose and now I’m into this again and I’m writing. I’ve always been dreaming of this but I didn’t find the time for that and now that I started, I think I’m really on the right path. My path . Wanting to write, to do my own music, to understand more and more about it. So well, I really hope that in 10 years, if I go on working like I do now on this music, my music ,I would love to have my own songs. I would love to do concerts. I would love to defend my texts and my words and my opinions and yeah, my vibe, you know. This is one of my biggest dreams now. So, I would really give myself all these chances to do that.My wish is to help people somehow with my art . Help to feel better, help them to feel understood . And of course I would like to continue to travel. Maybe a little bit less, you know, because my deepest wish is also to build my own family. I think I could manage both, my beautiful family and my awesome travels, everything melting with my world of music .

Magali, thank you very much for this very impressive interview. Please stay healthy!

For more information on Magali Dahan and Magma Show Paris please visit: https://magmashowparis.com/

Foto: Prof. Hans-Joachim Berndt

Der BULLE im Interview

Lieber Professor Berndt, wie viele andere verantwortungsbewusste Hamburgerinnen und Hamburger halten auch Sie sich aktuell an das Corona-(Überlebens-)Motto "Zusammenhalten durch Abstand halten und zu Hause bleiben". Für Sie als "Mann der Medien" sicher eine leichte Situation. Sind sie es doch gewöhnt auf dem Klavier der Medienkommunikation Melodien auf allen Kanälen von piano bis forte zu spielen.

Wer Sie nur an der Oberfläche kennt oder im Internet ein wenig nach Ihnen recherchiert, wird meist mit sich wiederholenden Zusammenhängen bedient. In Schlagworten - nicht abschließend - zusammengetragen: Wegbereiter der deutschen Werbung, Meister des Werbefilms, Vivendi, Neue Constantin Film, FILMHAUS, Olympische Spiele 1972, Weltenbummler und Grenzgänger, ADC, Stadelheim, Akademie der bildenden Künste Nürnberg, Markenerschaffer, Förderer und Gönner, der Natur verbunden und verpflichtet, der guten Sache wegen immer gerne auch streitbar, einfach der "Bulle". Introvertiert, herzlich, ehrlich!

Es gäbe unzählige weitere Höhepunkte, Erfolge und Auszeichnungen zu erwähnen, jedoch möchte dieses Interview den anderen "Bullen" erreichen. Den stillen, nachdenklichen, emphatischen und stets schaffenden.

Das Segeln wurde Ihnen scheinbar schon in die Wiege gelegt, waren doch Ihre Eltern Gründer eines Hamburger Segelsportvereines. Die Begeisterung für diesen Sport hat Sie 1972 zu den Olympischen Spielen nach München getragen, an denen Sie teilgenommen haben. Welche Erinnerungen verweilen noch bei Ihnen an diese als die "Heiteren Spiele" benannte Sommer Olympiade und die Ereignisse, die diese Olympiade zu der traurigsten der jüngeren Geschichte gemacht haben?

Meine Eltern hatten früher ein Motorboot, daß beim Wassersportverein Elbe in Kaltehofe lag. Dieses Boot wurde im Garten in Niendorf, wo heute mein Haus steht aus- und umgebaut… das war ca. 1955-58. Dann haben wir uns ein Holzboot in Heiligenhafen gekauft. Mahagoni und in den Passathafen nach Travemünde gelegt. Mein Freund Stephan Reith von der Orion Reederei hatte dort gegenüber vorm Lübecker Yacht Club die Yacht HAPPY liegen und immer wenn es spät wurde, fuhr keine Fähre mehr, Ich bin dann immer mit dem Holzbeiboot nach Hause gesegelt. Nebenbei war ich noch im Hamburger Segel Club Mitglied und habe dort im PUSCHEN (eine Bootsklasse, benannt nach dem Spitznamen der Tochter von Ernst Lehfeld, dem 'Vater' des PUSCHEN ) auf der Alster segeln gelernt. So fing es an…

Die Olympia Ausscheidungen haben wir knapp vor Kiel gewonnen und es waren tolle Olympische Spiele. Wir hatten super Support. Obwohl wir morgens 3000 mtr mit Gewichtswesten schwimmen mussten...waren wir voll fit. Jedoch hatte die Olympiade keinen Wind. Pech. Unser Ziel und Aufgabe vor der DDR zu platzieren haben wir aber erreicht.

Das Attentat war doof, denn es fühlte sich an, als wenn man einen Stecker aus der Steckdose zieht… von 100 auf 0. Zack. Vollbremsung… von den Athleten abgeschüttelt nach 3 Tagen und weiter ging es, gebremst zwar, aber keiner konnte uns den Spaß verderben.

Jemand mit weniger "Standing" und Lebenserfahrung könnte geneigt sein Ihr Leben als eine sehr harte Schule bis hin zu einem Leben auf der Achterbahn zu beschreiben und wäre vielleicht auch daran zerbrochen. Was hat den "Bullen" am Leben gehalten und wie ist er seinem Lehrer, dem "Leben", begegnet?

Ich habe immer nach dem Motto gelebt, „Je mehr ich weiß, umso weniger muss ich glauben“

Des Weiteren habe ich in jedem Moment mein BESTES gegeben, auch wenn es ein Fehler war… aber den macht man nur einmal.

Ich freue mich heute noch, wenn ich merke, das ich morgens atme und lebe.

Der Bulle ist ein Naturmensch. In vielerlei Hinsichten. Ihre Beteiligung an der Marke "NATUR", der Wettbewerb "Spot for Nature", NATURATHLON 2004 oder das Magazin QUAGGA sind hier nur einige Beispiele. Wie beschreiben Sie Ihr Verhältnis zur Natur und Ihr Umweltbewusstsein?

Wir müssen unser Ressourcen schützen und bedacht mit allen umgehen. Die Natur gibt uns wie jetzt mit der Corona Pandemie das eisenhart zurück. Hat etwas von Darwin. 

Immer wieder einmal beteiligen Sie sich leise an Charity Events und sind auch als Förderer junger Talente bekannt. Haben ein großes Faible für Kunst und Künstler. Eigenschaften, die sie ohne großes Aufsehen ausleben. Parallelen dazu finden sich auch immer wieder in den über 5.000 Werbefilmen...

Kleine Berichtigung, es sind ca. 9500 Filme… :)

Wenn man immer das Beste gibt, dann wird auch das Talent von den Leuten erkannt.

Ich wollte immer manipulieren, daß die Verkaufsregale der Kunden leer sind. Hat geklappt.

Sie geben anderen immer gerne etwas mit auf den Weg. Mal einen guten Wein, mal einen guten Rat(-schlag). Auch schon mal ungefragt. Aber immer zum Vorteil des anderen. Auch wenn den die Einsicht manchmal erst später erreicht oder trifft. Ihre Arbeit läßt sich mit zwei philosophischen Sätzen gut beschreiben: 1. Ihrem Credo: "Das Bessere ist der Feind des Guten!" und 2. mit Ihrer Erklärung: "Ich sehe den Köder immer aus der Sicht des Fisches und nicht aus der Sicht des Anglers!"

Hier gefragt, wäre interessant zu wissen, welche grundsätzliche Empfehlung sie einem jungen "Schaffenden" mit auf den Lebens- und Leidensweg geben würden?

Wach bleiben, Augen auf… 

Lieber Bulle Berndt und nun noch ein paar 'quick facts'

Ein Wort....eine Antwort:

1. Lieblingsfarbe: Orange

2. Lieblingsschriftsteller: Tucholsky

3. Lieblingssänger: Jimi Hendrix

4. Lieblingsgruppe: Rolling Stones

5. Lieblingslied / -melodie: Everybody needs somebody to Love

6. Lieblingsbuch: Scheckbuch

7. Lieblingsort: Mougins

8. Lieblingsmensch: mich

9. Lieblingsessen: Spargel mit Allem rauf und runter

10. Lieblingspersönlichkeit: Heinz Dürr

11. Lieblingstier: Tiger

12. Lieblingswesensart: Macchiavelli

13. Lieblingssprache: Hamburgisch also Missingsch

14. Lieblingskamera: iPhone 11 Pro Max

15. Lieblingsdrehort: Welt

16. Lieblingsstatist: jeder der das tut, was gefordert ist

17.  Lieblingsauto: Ferrari od. MGC

18. Lieblingsboot:  RIVA Aquarama Special

19. Lieblingswerkzeug: Flex

20. Lieblingskochutensil: Bratpfanne

21. Lieblingswein: Grand Echezeaux, Burgund

22. Lieblingskünstler: Cy Twombly

23. Lieblingsbild: Hängt bei mir im Wohnzimmer, N.Y. von Liebig

25. Lieblingszitat: Je mehr ich weiss, umso weniger muss ich glauben.

26. Lieblingsmöbel: DS22 und Eames Sessel

27. Lieblingsbeschäftigung: denken

28. Lieblingsfilm: Der Pate

29. Lieblingswerbefilm: Levis von ca. 1985 / Rivets

30. Lieblingswunsch: friedliche Gelassenheit

Lieber Professor Berndt, herzlichen Dank für das spannende und lehrreiche Interview! Bitte bleiben Sie gesund!

Zeichnung & Foto by Martyn Dunn