WHO IS BAFF?
baff is a team of Deaf* and hearing artists who have been developing innovative dance performances for an age-open audience under the name baff since 2024 - for both Deaf* and hearing people.
The name “baff” comes from a sign in German Sign Language (DGS) and, just like in spoken German, it expresses surprise and the unexpected. And that’s exactly what baff is all about! We want to surprise, amaze, challenge expectations, and even provoke. In short, we want to leave our audience baff! In doing so we are not afraid of complex topics — in fact, they are at the center of what we do. With creativity, imagination, and humor, we invite our audiences to understand the world in their own way. This opens up space for new perspectives and approaches.
With our productions, we are committed to an exchange between the cultures of Deaf* and hearing people. Our aim is to work together on and behind the stage as a team consisting of Deaf* and hearing artists and cultural professionals on an equal footing. In our artistic productions, we combine the different aesthetics in a creative way and make German Sign Language (DGS) accessible to everyone.
THE ORIGIN
OF BAFF
INTERNATIONAL SIGN COMING SOON*
Julia Keren Turbahn and Jan Rozman developed the performance Dinge dingen (for ages 5 and up) during a research residency at FELD Theater Berlin. In 2022, they met Jan Kress and together adapted the piece to be fully accessible to Deaf audiences.
Since then, Dinge dingen has been shown at various festivals across Germany and Europe, including in Slovenia, Croatia, and Norway. In 2023, it was also selected as one of the ten featured productions at the Augenblick mal! Festival in Berlin, Germany’s national festival for children’s and youth theatre.
In 2024, Jan Kress, Julia Keren Turbahn, and Jan Rozman created O (the shOw), a production in which German Sign Language (DGS) and accessibility for Deaf audiences were integrated into the artistic process from the very beginning. This is clearly reflected in the aesthetics of the performance. O (dthe shOw) was also invited to the Augenblick mal! Festival 2025 in Berlin.
With the founding of baff in December 2024, we are committed to expanding our collective knowledge, growing as a team, continuing to develop our shared artistic language, and advocating for equal collaboration between Deaf and hearing artists — as well as for meaningful access to theatre for Deaf audiences.
In 2026, the production SINNich premiered at the FELD Theatre. SINNich was nominated for the Ikarus Prize, making it one of the five outstanding theatre productions for young audiences in Berlin.
baff wird gefördert durch:
The production Dinge dingen (2021) was made possible by a residency at the FELD Theatre as part of the pilot project ‘Residency Support for Dance 2020/2021’ run by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe. Funded by the Performing Arts Fund from resources provided by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media as part of the NEUSTART KULTUR initiative, and through the Re-launch Funding programme of the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe. Funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, City of Ljubljana.
The production O (die shOw) (2023) was funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion as part of the IMPACT funding scheme. With the support of SKICA Berlin, the Slovenian Cultural Centre in Berlin.
The production SINNich (2025) was funded by the Capital City Culture Fund and the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion as part of its individual project funding scheme. With the support of the residency programme of the Slovenian Ministry of Culture.
The ‘flausen+Residenz’ at the Theater neben dem Turm in July 2025 was funded by Aktion Mensch and the Karin and Uwe Hollweg Foundation.
The performances of SINNich in October 2026 are made possible by the Karin and Uwe Hollweg Foundation.