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| ImPulsTanz | |
|---|---|
| Name | ImPulsTanz |
| Status | active |
| Genre | contemporary dance festival |
| Frequency | annual |
| Location | Vienna |
| Country | Austria |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Founders | Karl Regensburger |
ImPulsTanz ImPulsTanz is a major contemporary dance festival and research platform founded in 1984 in Vienna, Austria. The festival convenes dancers, choreographers, scholars and institutions from across Europe and beyond, attracting participants associated with Royal Ballet School, Sasha Waltz, Pina Bausch, William Forsythe, and Martha Graham legacies. ImPulsTanz links performance, pedagogy and research through collaborations with entities like Volksoper Wien, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Salzburg Festival, Tanzquartier Wien, and Ernst-Busch-Schule.
The festival was established in 1984 by Karl Regensburger alongside early collaborators connected to Volksoper Wien, Stadt Wien, Cultural Forum of Austria, and contemporaries of Pina Bausch, Merce Cunningham, Trisha Brown, and Alwin Nikolais. Through the late 1980s and 1990s ImPulsTanz expanded amid networks including Judson Church, Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Kitchen, and partnerships with companies like Ballet Frankfurt and Grec Festival de Barcelona. Post-2000 developments tied the festival to EU cultural initiatives such as Creative Europe, exchanges with Jerwood DanceHouse, and residencies that involved artists linked to Wim Vandekeybus, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Sasha Waltz & Guests, and institutions like ZF Gesellschaft.
ImPulsTanz is organized by a core administrative team in coordination with artistic directors, pedagogues and partner institutions including Tanzquartier Wien, Volksoper Wien, Stadt Wien Kultur, OeAD, and international producers from Sadler's Wells, Maison de la Danse Lyon, Hellerau – European Centre for the Arts, and Het Nationale Ballet. Its governance model echoes structures seen at Salzburg Festival and Bregenz Festival, involving advisory boards with representatives from European Commission cultural departments, funders linked to Kulturkontakt Austria, and academic liaisons from University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and University of Applied Arts Vienna. The festival coordinates residencies, workshops and research labs with logistical support from venues such as WUK, Brut Wien, and Tanzhaus NRW.
Annual programming comprises workshops, labs, commissions, performances and research platforms, often featuring masterclasses associated with practitioners like William Forsythe, Pina Bausch, Martha Graham heirs, Merce Cunningham Dance Company alumni, and innovators connected to Ohad Naharin, Akram Khan, Crystal Pite, and Wayne McGregor. Projects include long-term research labs akin to initiatives at Baryshnikov Arts Center and exchange programs similar to Jerusalem International YMCA residencies, plus curated seasons in collaboration with Wiener Festwochen, Vienna State Opera, and Kunsthalle Wien. Educational strands mirror curricula at Codarts Rotterdam, Trinity Laban Conservatoire, and the Palace of Arts (Müpa Budapest).
ImPulsTanz has influenced choreographic practices across Europe, intersecting with repertoires of Batsheva, Scapino Ballet, Bangarra Dance Theatre, National Ballet of Canada, and been cited in discourses alongside figures like Rudolf Laban, Isadora Duncan, Loie Fuller, and Anna Halprin. Its residency model informed exchange frameworks at European Dancehouse Network and programming at Theatre de la Ville, contributing to pedagogical approaches in institutions such as Codarts, Motion Bank, and P.A.R.T.S.. The festival's legacy includes commissions that entered repertoires of companies like Scottish Ballet, Halle Tanztheater, and ensembles linked to Graham 2 and Ballet BC.
Contributors and alumni connected to ImPulsTanz include choreographers and performers associated with Pina Bausch Tanztheater, William Forsythe Company, Sasha Waltz & Guests, Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Ohad Naharin/Gaga, Akram Khan Company, Crystal Pite/Kidd Pivot, Wim Vandekeybus/Ultima Vez, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker/Rosas, Martha Graham Company affiliates, and composers or designers linked to Heiner Goebbels, Günther Schneider-Siemssen, Tabea Blumenschein, William Christie, and Reinbert de Leeuw.
Programming and residencies have taken place at Vienna venues including Tanzquartier Wien, Brut Wien, WUK, Volkstheater Wien, Volksoper Wien, Vienna State Opera, Kunsthalle Wien, MuseumsQuartier, and nearby Austrian sites relevant to touring such as Bregenz, Salzburg, and regional centers like Linz and Graz. International collaborations extend to stages and research spaces like Sadler's Wells, Hellerau, Baryshnikov Arts Center, Maison de la Danse Lyon, The Kitchen, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Jerwood DanceHouse.
Over decades ImPulsTanz has received recognition from cultural bodies such as Kulturkreis der deutschen Wirtschaft, KulturKontakt Austria, and awards or acknowledgements aligned with European Cultural Foundation, Austrian Cultural Forum, and municipal honors from City of Vienna. Individual artists presented at the festival have been recipients of distinctions like the Golden Lion (Venice Biennale), Bessie Award, Kreuzberger Kunstpreis, Der Faust, and national honors such as the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art.
Category:Dance festivals in Austria