Throughout TANZPAKT Stadt-Land-Bund, the Dachverband Tanz Deutschland will be organising both national and regional information events and running them jointly with Bureau Ritter.
How can dance careers, care work and parenthood be reconciled? How do we deal with the responsibility between artistic practice and care work? What family and work models are needed for this? And what structural changes are necessary to ensure that care work does not become a career obstacle – both in the independent scene and in permanent ensembles?
The ‘Dance & Care’ conference picks up on ideas from the ‘Dance and Parenthood’ symposium organized by Tanzbüro Munich (Tanz-Allianzen). The exchange so far clearly shows that there is a great need for this – also in Baden-Württemberg. Plans include an input by Emi Miyoshi and Anna Kempin from the Shibui Collective (Freiburg) and a spotlight on the collective ‘Mütterkünste’ from Baden-Württemberg. Together with the participants, we would like to discuss funding structures, equality, festival models with integrated care structures and audience formats (e.g. performances with childcare).
(Dance)Artists, event organisers and equality and cultural officers are invited to join us in developing perspectives for Baden-Württemberg.
Want more? HERE you will find recommendations for action and tools that address the topic of dance and care work.
Registration shortly available.
The conference "Voices of Dance – Talking about dance, understanding history, shaping the future" takes a look at the history of dance in Frankfurt: What lessons can be learned for the current situation? What structural and artistic conditions for success does dance need? Where have there been breaks and new beginnings? And how can we make dance from Frankfurt – its history and its present – more visible?
There is a particular focus on moments of change: Where did decisive events take place? When did artists migrate – and why? When did new players join the scene? How have structures, funding models and working conditions developed, and how can we build on developments?
Another focus is the question of cultures of remembrance in dance. Perspectives come from archival work, science, (funding) practice and art, including from Prof. Dr. Gerald Siegmund, Professor at the JLU Gießen and Christine Henniger, Project Manager, Media Library for Dance and Theatre / Archive and Practice at ITI-Germany.
The conference sees itself as a look back in order to look forward – as a space for exchange, reflection and networking between dance professionals, artists, institutions and funding structures in the independent scene.
Registrations at ID_TANZHAUS
Linked to the conference ‘VIELFÄLTIGER OSTEN’ of the MITTE:OST association in Olbernhau, a workshop and a dance network meeting took place on 3 June as part of the cultural policy dialogue of TANZPAKT Stadt-Land-Bund. In the workshop ‘Embodied experiences of power(lessness)’, Constanze Schulte then explored the question of how marginalising experiences and verbal and physical abuse manifest themselves in the body with the participants. The potential of dance was used to initiate a way of dealing with this. Because where bodies meet in movement, embodied social (power) structures and individual experiences meet.
Constanze Schulte is a freelance cultural practitioner specialising in dance, movement and the body. She also teaches cultural education, critical diversity and dance at the HS Niederrhein and the Ruhr University Bochum. She has also completed further training in the field of anti-discriminatory and trauma-sensitive work. She has been a member of the DTD Ethics Commission since 2024.
The cultural-political exchange with representatives of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern tanzt an, consisting of Tanzregion Vorpommern, Perform[d]ance (Stralsund), Schloss Bröllin (Fahrenwalde) and Theater Vorpommern (Stralsund, Greifswald & Putbus), as well as the Fachstelle Tanz MV, cultural administration, political groups from the district and state parliament, socio-cultural actors and other dance professionals focused on aspects of the social relevance of dance art and concrete perspectives for its structural safeguarding and further development. The participants impressively demonstrated the contribution that dance projects - such as classroom pieces, mobile residencies, festivals, specialist forums and training courses - can make to education, participation and cultural development. Under the motto ‘Forging alliances’, key challenges were identified - such as political polarisation, attacks on cultural actors and the precarious situation of many freelance dance professionals. Strategies were also developed on how to build resilience through stronger networking and political support.
An event organised by MECKLENBURG-VORPOMMERN TANZT AN in cooperation with the Fachstelle Tanz Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Funded by the Ministry of Science, Culture, Federal and European Affairs of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The first part takes place in cooperation with the Dachverband Tanz Deutschland as part of the cultural-political dialogue of TANZPAKT Stadt-Land-Bund.
For six years now, dance in Hanover has been supported with its own funding, in addition to cross-disciplinary funding for the performing arts. How can this funding be made more accessible, appropriate, future-proof and suitable for those involved? Together with Eva Bender, Head of the Department of Culture and Education in Hanover, and Veronika Alteruthemeyer-Beck from the City of Hanover's Cultural Office, around 40 representatives of the dance scene in three workshops on dance development.
The first workshop on the topic of "funding" took place on 27 May 2025 at RAMPE. This followed on from the kick-off network meeting "Hanover dances forward” on 1 February 2025, which was held in cooperation with the Real Dance festival. Discussions focused on the current funding model, the development of dance funding in comparison to theatre funding, bureaucratic effort, the need for networking and the visibility of dance.
In a further step, a survey was conducted to find out which spaces are used for artistic work processes and/or performances. The results were incorporated into the "Spaces" workshop on 9 September 2025 at Künstlerhaus, which focused on how existing spaces meet the requirements and (e.g. financial) possibilities of dance professionals and what opportunities should be created in the future.
In the third and final workshop, "Goals & Measures," held on 12 December 2025 at the Staatsoper, the results achieved so far were presented, the objectives formulated to date were reviewed, and proposals for measures were specified in small groups.
Freelance dancers and choreographers from the contemporary dance scene in Saxony-Anhalt, together with the Dachverband Tanz and the Landeszentrum Freies Theater Sachsen-Anhalt e. V . (LanZe), invited participants to a joint conference with the aim of creating prospects for future collaboration, networking, further training and support.
The meeting in the Forum Gestaltung started with a round of presentations in the format ‘5 short minutes’, in which a total of 12 dancers and choreographers introduced themselves with videos and images. This was followed by table discussions with the producers and cultural managers Marie Meier and Susanne Ogan, Nicole Tröger from WUK Theater Quartier and Marie Schultze from Magdeburg Theatre on the topics of production, networking and collaboration between established structures and the independent scene, and the final joint discussion focused on how dance in Saxony-Anhalt can network better.
As part of the concept development for a production and performance venue for dance and the performing arts in Saarland, a small conference will be held in Saarbrücken on 18 September. The aim is to find out about as many different models as possible and to discuss their applicability to Saarland. With impulses from Johanna Roggan, Villa Wigman (Dresden); Sascha Koal, Felina Areal Theatre (Mannheim); Andreas Lübbers, Wiese eG (Hamburg); Slava Gepner, TanzFaktur (Cologne) and Ralf Ollertz, Halle Tanzbühne (Berlin). The event is being organised in close cooperation with the Landesarbeitsgemeinschaft Tanz (LAG Tanz) and in exchange with the Netzwerk Freie Szene Saar. Registration here.
Dancers and cultural workers increasingly encounter discriminatory statements unexpectedly in professional or everyday situations - on stage, in a taxi to a rehearsal or in public spaces. Do I always have to discuss? What options do I have for positioning myself? Together with the 18 participants, we explored the question of what options for action are available in such situations, how argumentation patterns are structured and how our own dialogue strategies can be used. The aim was and is to strengthen your own stance and be able to defend it confidently.
Back in 2020, the German Dance Association organised a Meeting of fudned projects of Tanzland and TANZPAKT Stadt-Land-Bund, on the question of how artists can take a stand against right-wing influences, what role culture plays in right-wing structures and how cultural institutions can defend themselves against racism, nationalism and anti-Semitism.
Dance in particular focuses on the human body. National, ethnic, religious and cultural attributions are often attached to the body without reflection. As an artistic medium, dance in its many forms can shake up attributions so that each individual is seen as a human being. However, this often requires verbal argumentation.
The day was moderated by Gegenargument.
A joint event by the DIS-TANZEN programme and the cultural policy dialogue of TANZPAKT Stadt-Land-Bund, funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.
The 33 participants of the symposium – local and national independent artists, curators, organisers, jury members, directors and all interested parties – were invited to discuss and question practices of curation and selection processes. The event began with a short panel of guests who offered an insight into their role and approach to curating in their respective contexts. In small groups, artists and curators then engaged in a direct, topic-related exchange, which was perceived as very beneficial by all sides. Among other things, they discussed how the barriers for dancers outside the major dance centres can be removed and what is needed to give them more access. The format also helped to make the activities and commitment of the local dance scene visible.
A cooperation between Tanznetz Freiburg and the Dachverband Tanz Deutschland as part of the TANZPAKT Stadt-Land-Bund cultural policy dialogue.
Further information here.
Following the first network meeting in January, a second symposium took place on 12 September: 23 dancers, choreographers, dance dramaturges, funding agencies and heads of cultural authorities from Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg were invited to exchange ideas and network at local and national level. In a participatory format, participants went in search of the most urgent challenges, potentials and needs of dance in rural areas. With the dancers and choreographers Edan Gorlicki (Inter-Actions) and Crystal Schüttler (Zeit Tanz Land e. V.), various working groups dealt with topics such as professional dance in urban and rural areas and communication with the audience. Click here for the minutes (PDF in German).
As part of the cultural policy dialogue of TANZPAKT Stadt-Land-Bund, the first network meeting Tanzkomplizen SÜW took place on 19 January 2023 at Gloria Kulturpalast in Landau to discuss the future of dance in Rhineland-Palatinate: 22 dance enthusiasts, dancers, choreographers and artists met with the cultural offices of Landau and Neustadt as well as the cultural advisory service of Rhineland-Palatinate for a stimulating exchange. Click here for the minutes (PDF in German).
Furthermore, there is a public padlet for further work entitled “What has happened so far ”. Here, collaborations and concrete implementations are to be documented on a timeline. Everything that happens in the network in terms of dance can be posted here.
This online excursion offers the opportunity to deal more intensively with the topic of financial management and accounting systems. This is a major challenge for newly established medium-sized structures and ensembles, especially when they receive funding from different sources that are interlinked. The first thing is to ask questions, to see who is using which systems and software, and whether there are best practice examples. The exchange will be moderated by Béla Bisom from transmissions. If you are interested, please contact: n.stillfried@dachverband-tanz.de.
The German Dance Association (Dachverband Tanz Deutschland, abbreviation DTD) has been working since 2006 to unite a strong voice for dance and to communicate the important issues of dance to both politicians and dance practitioners. For this reason, a series of symposiums are held within the framework of the funding programme TANZPAKT Stadt-Land-Bund. At the invitation of the Landesarbeitsgemeinschaft Tanz Saarland e. V. (LAG Tanz), a meeting of the dance scene took place in Saarbrücken on 5 September in preparation for the professional day. Protocol - (not barrier-free PDf in German).
The regional administration, co-sponsors, representatives of cultural policy and of various venues were invited to the expert meeting on 19 October, which was planned as part of the Freistil Festival‘s city laboratory at Völklinger Hütte in cooperation with the Netzwerk Freie Szene Saar, in order to emphasise the urgency of a production venue for all divisions and the support of the administration and politicians, and to enter into dialogue with each other.
The two players LAG Tanz and Netzwerk Freie Szene Saar asked their members about their needs and developed the concepts “Saarland wird Tanzland” and “Kunst sucht Platz!” - (not barrier-free PDf in German). The German Dance Association is pleased to have been able to support this process.
On 5 July, the first expert meeting for the independent dance scene in Hanover took place in the Lister Turm in cooperation with Tanzpunkt Hannover. In this context, the initiative Tanzkonzeption presented the “Dance Development Concept Hanover” developed together with actors from the Hanoverian dance scene and presented it for discussion to around 40 participants from the dance scene, cultural administration and politics.
The Dachverband Tanz Deutschland (DTD) organised a symposium on the topic of “Successful Cooperation” on 4 October 2021 from 12:00 to 15:30 at KuB Bad Oldesloe in cooperation with tanz.nord.
Dance professionals from Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein as well as networks in the field of dance & performing arts were given the opportunity to exchange ideas and network effectively on a local and national level.
DOCUMENTATION - (not barrier-free PDf in German).
The Dachverband Tanz Deutschland (DTD) and the TanzNetzDresden (TNDD) organised an expert meeting within the #TakeNote project WORKING COMMUNITIES entitled “Talking to Politicians” – Kick-off to a ROUND TABLE on the topic of network structures in the independent performing arts. Embedded in the Dancing About Festival of TANZPAKT Dresden, various networks in the field of dance & performing arts at local, supra-regional and international level were given the opportunity to exchange ideas and network effectively. This also included strengthening their own effectiveness on a political level and entering into dialogue with cultural politicians.
With Simone Barrientos, member of the German Bundestag and cultural policy spokesperson for the Left Party, Annekatrin Klepsch, second mayor of Dresden and councillor for culture and tourism, and Christiane Filius-Jehne, leader of the Bündnis 90/Die Grünen parliamentary group, spokesperson for culture and tourism, etc. Dr Elisabeth Nehring moderated the event.
DOCUMENTATION - (not barrier-free PDf in German).
The German Dance ASSOCIATION, TANZPAKT Dresden, LOFFT THEATER Leipzig and Aktion Tanz/AG Mixed Abled invite you to the analog event at LOFFT THEATER in Leipzig. At the symposium, artists and experts will speak on the topic of inclusion. The program will focus on the offers and needs of the region of Saxony and how the cooperation between dance mediators, choreographers and the mixed abled community can be improved for dance. In moderated small groups it will be worked out how the mixed abled community can be more enthusiastic about dance and how institutional structures can be improved. Accompanying the symposium, consultations on the funding program TANZPAKT Stadt-Land-Bund will be offered.
Mixed Abled Dance offers a platform on which dancers and dance professionals can develop new artistic potentials and approaches together. Working together opens up horizons for those involved; in dialogue, all the preconditions that prevent equality can be recognized and abolished. The lived togetherness in dance can thus, starting from the small space, have a positive influence on the construction of a lived equality in the whole society.
