This article was accepted into the corpus but its outbound wikilinks were never NER-processed — typical at the deepest BFS hop or when the run's entity cap was reached. No expansion funnel to show.
| Tanz im August | |
|---|---|
| Name | Tanz im August |
| Genre | Contemporary dance, performance art |
| Location | Berlin, Germany |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Founder | Neuer Tanz collective |
| Artistic director | Various |
Tanz im August
Tanz im August is an annual contemporary dance festival held in Berlin that presents international choreography, site-specific performance art, and experimental movement works. Founded during the late 1980s amid transformations in Germany following the Cold War and the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the festival engages with major institutions such as the Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz, the Volksbühne, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, and the Haus der Kulturen der Welt. It attracts participants from organizations including the Royal Ballet, Pina Bausch Tanztheater, Martha Graham Dance Company, and independent companies associated with figures like William Forsythe, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Akram Khan, and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.
The festival originated in 1988 against a backdrop of cultural restructuring in West Berlin and the broader Federal Republic of Germany, initially featuring makers tied to the postmodern dance currents in New York City and the Judson Dance Theater, as well as European innovators linked to the Flemish Wave and the French contemporary scene. Early seasons showcased exchanges with ensembles such as the Trisha Brown Company, the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and the Royal Shakespeare Company's interdisciplinary collaborators, intersecting with museums like the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin and festivals including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s the program expanded to include artists associated with institutions like the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Sadler's Wells Theatre, the Hellerau European Centre for the Arts, and universities such as the Hochschule für Schauspielkunst Ernst Busch and the Universität der Künste Berlin. Political and social currents—responding to events like the European Union enlargement and debates around multiculturalism—shaped commissions involving collectives tied to the Migrant Dramaturgies and intercultural initiatives linked with the Goethe-Institut.
The festival is produced by a network involving municipal bodies such as the Senate of Berlin, cultural funders like the Kulturstiftung des Bundes, and partner theaters including the Deutsches Theater Berlin and the Komische Oper Berlin. Its governance model has included advisory boards composed of representatives from the European Dancehouse Network, curators from the Hebbel am Ufer (HAU), and artistic directors with affiliations to institutions such as the Tanzhaus NRW, the Kunstfest Weimar, and the Montpellier Danse. Financial and logistical support has involved collaborations with philanthropic organizations like the German Federal Cultural Foundation and broadcasting partners such as Deutschlandradio and RBB (Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg). Production teams coordinate with touring logistics providers used by companies such as the Scottish Ballet and administrative units previously linked to the Nederlands Dans Theater.
Program strands combine full-length premieres, site-specific interventions, retrospectives, and festival commissions produced in concert with houses like the Schauspielhaus Zürich and festivals such as the Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen). Commissions have been awarded to choreographers including Pina Bausch, Ohad Naharin, Shen Wei, Kazuo Ohno-inspired practitioners, and collaborative projects with visual artists associated with the Tate Modern, the Centre Pompidou, and the Museum of Modern Art. The festival often curates projects jointly with international partners such as the Brooklyn Museum, the Biennale di Venezia, and the Kunstenfestivaldesarts, while residencies have been hosted at institutions like the Akademie der Künste and the JPEG Contemporary Arts Center. Programmatic themes have intersected with discourses represented at conferences like the International Theatre Institute and publications from the Dance Research Journal.
Performances take place across Berlin's cultural map: the Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz, the Volksbühne, the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, the Tempodrom, the Radialsystem V, and the Kulturforum sites including the Philharmonie Berlin environs. Site-specific works have activated public spaces such as the Alexanderplatz, the Brandenburger Tor precinct, and industrial heritage sites like the Tempelhofer Feld and former venues associated with the Berghain complex. Collaborations with museums and galleries include the Hamburger Bahnhof, the Neue Nationalgalerie, and project spaces like the KW Institute for Contemporary Art.
Artistic leadership has rotated among curators and directors linked to institutions such as the Schauspiel Köln, the Biennale de Lyon, and the Festival d'Avignon, bringing in guest curators with ties to Staatsballett Berlin and the Royal Opera House. Featured creators have included Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, William Forsythe, Pina Bausch, Martha Graham, Akram Khan, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, William Forsythe-alumni, and emerging choreographers trained at the Codarts University for the Arts and the Palucca University of Dance Dresden. Performers have hailed from ensembles like the Batsheva Dance Company, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and independent collectives linked to ImPulsTanz Vienna International Dance Festival.
Education initiatives partner with universities and schools such as the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, the Freie Universität Berlin, and the Technische Universität Berlin to offer workshops, masterclasses, and lectures featuring artists from the London Contemporary Dance School, the Juilliard School, and the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Youth and community programs have collaborated with local NGOs and cultural mediators connected to the Berliner Festspiele and the Anne Frank Zentrum, while professional development formats link to networks like the European Choreographic Forum.
Critics from publications such as the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the Die Zeit, The Guardian, and the New York Times have reviewed festival seasons, debating its role in shaping contemporary choreographic discourse and intercultural exchange between regions represented by the European Union, Asia-Pacific delegations, and Latin American collectives. Academic assessments in journals including the Dance Research Journal and books from academic presses like Cambridge University Press have examined its influence on Berlin's cultural landscape, festival economies, and urban cultural policy debates involving the Senate of Berlin and the European Commission. Categories: Category:Dance festivals in Germany Category:Festivals in Berlin