About the project

When an element of the past is repeated in the present, we call it - positively speaking - classical. Bach and Mozart, music as a whole gives us many examples of this. But we don't have a name for the mistakes of the past that are repeated in the present and that challenge the idea of progress.
"Past Continuous" is an artistic-social project of the Cellex Foundation. Actors of different nationalities process their personal experiences and ideas about respect, tolerance, harmony, peace and empathy. Dance and theater play are forms of expression in this project, with which the group examines negative aspects of the past that still shape society.

The snake biting its own tail symbolizes the central theme of the project. The plays ask the question: Is it possible to overcome the mistakes of the past?
"Past Continuous" was founded in 2018 by literary scholar and dancer Cristian Javier Castaño. He has written six different pieces for this project so far. He leads the rehearsals and directs the performances. People from 14 nations work together in the project. They come from Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Syria, Afghanistan and Iran, but all live in Dresden.

Under the motto "Past Continuous," the plays deal with negative aspects of the past that are reflected in the present. They want to highlight current problems in order to overcome mistakes that have been made. The tragedies and comedies want to reveal their own contradictions and focus on issues of interpersonal interaction in social and historical contexts; they talk about racism, xenophobia, migration and integration, wars and National Socialism.

So far, the ensemble has created and performed six productions.