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| Tanzhaus NRW | |
|---|---|
| Name | Tanzhaus NRW |
| Type | Dance centre |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Location | Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany |
Tanzhaus NRW is a major contemporary dance centre in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, offering production, presentation, and training for contemporary choreography and performance. It functions as a hub for national and international artists, hosting companies, independent choreographers, and pedagogues across varied programs. The organisation liaises with cultural institutions, broadcasters, festivals, and funding bodies to foster exchange among practitioners from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
The institution originated in the mid-1990s during debates around cultural infrastructure in North Rhine-Westphalia, alongside initiatives involving Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Kölner Philharmonie, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, and municipal arts offices. Early proponents included figures linked to Landesbüro Tanz NRW, Kulturrat Nordrhein-Westfalen, and producers who had worked with Festspielhaus Hellerau, Sophiensaele, Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, and Schauspielhaus Düsseldorf. Subsequent development involved cooperation with the Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen, the Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf, and the Ministerium für Kultur und Wissenschaft Nordrhein-Westfalen. Funding rounds drew on mechanisms used by Staatskanzlei NRW, Kulturstiftung des Bundes, and the Kreativwirtschaft NRW. The centre’s programming expanded through contact with festivals such as Tanz im August, ImPulsTanz Vienna International Dance Festival, Venice Biennale, and networks including European Dancehouse Network, ITs Festival, and TransEurope Halles.
The building combines adaptive reuse and contemporary intervention, echoing precedents like Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex, Zeche Zollverein, Kranhaus Köln, Museum Ludwig, and Kunstmuseum Düsseldorf. Facilities include multiple studios, a black-box theatre, production workshops, and office spaces configured for residency models similar to those at Pina Bausch Centre, Batie Festival Studios, and Shakespeare and Company residencies. Technical infrastructure supports collaborations with broadcasters such as WDR, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, and platforms like ARTE and ZDF for recorded performance and mediatheque projects. Accessible design references standards applied in projects by Deutscher Werkbund, Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen, and municipal planners collaborating with Baukunstarchiv NRW.
Programming has presented works by choreographers and ensembles who have also appeared at Maurice Béjart, William Forsythe, Pina Bausch, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Ohad Naharin, Maguy Marin, Trisha Brown, Merce Cunningham, and companies like Batsheva Dance Company, Rambert Dance Company, Akram Khan Company, and Hofesh Shechter Company. Resident and guest artists have included links to careers related to Sasha Waltz, Wim Vandekeybus, Jan Fabre, Emanuel Gat, and collectives connected to Rimini Protokoll approaches. The centre commissions new works and supports research labs in dialogue with institutions such as Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, Konzerthaus Berlin, and Staatsoper Hamburg.
Educational activities range from professional development, mentorships, and internships to workshops for aspiring performers tied to curricula from Folkwang University of the Arts, Hochschule für Schauspielkunst "Ernst Busch", University of the Arts London, Codarts Rotterdam, and the Juilliard School exchange models. Training collaborations include masterclasses with practitioners affiliated with Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden, Ballet Rambert, and pedagogical frameworks influenced by Laban Centre methodologies. Youth outreach and community programs connect with initiatives at Jugendzentrum Düsseldorf, Kulturbüro Köln, and public cultural education projects sponsored by European Cultural Foundation.
The centre hosts and partners with festivals, producing strands for contemporary performance and interdisciplinary dialogue with festivals such as Tanzmesse NRW, Düsseldorfer Jazzrally, Ruhrtriennale, Internationales Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen, and Dokumentarfilmfestival. It has curated seasons in sync with international events like Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Festival d'Avignon, Biennale di Venezia, and touring showcases aligned with European Capitals of Culture. Special events have included symposiums echoing formats used by ImPulsTanz, lab intensives inspired by Pina Bausch Foundation, and exchange platforms modelled on Aerowaves.
Strategic partnerships span municipal, regional, and international bodies including Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf Kulturamt, Ministerium für Kultur und Wissenschaft Nordrhein-Westfalen, Goethe-Institut, British Council, Institut français, and cultural branches of diplomatic missions. Co-productions have been realised with theatres such as Schauspiel Köln, Thalia Theater, Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg, and venues like Kampnagel and Schloss Broich. Research and digital projects link to academic partners including Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, RWTH Aachen University, TU Dortmund University, and media labs collaborating with Fraunhofer Society and Max Planck Institutes.
Critical reception situates the centre within discourses visible in reviews appearing in outlets connected to Die Zeit, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Süddeutsche Zeitung, The Guardian, and festival catalogues from Prix de Lausanne and Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. Impact assessments reference benchmarking against European dancehouses like Sadler's Wells, The Place, Maison de la Danse Lyon, and policy evaluations similar to those by European Commission cultural programmes. The centre’s role in career development is evidenced by artists who went on to present at institutions such as Bregenzer Festspiele, Munich Biennale, Hamburger Kunsthalle, and international touring circuits managed by agencies like Arco Artistic Management.
Category:Dance venues in Germany