The festival tanz nrw is a showcase where a best-of of current dance productions is presented. Twenty years ago, cities and theaters in the region formed a network to organize this cross-city platform for contemporary dance as a biennial event. However, the creators are already worried about the existence of this unique cooperation. Because the budget cuts in culture are primarily affecting the independent scene.
As a result, large and expensive productions could not be engaged for the anniversary edition. Nevertheless, the 16 selected pieces, including two world premieres, reflect the - still existing - diversity of the dance art of North Rhine-Westphalia. Renowned names such as Hartmannmueller, bodytalk, Ben J. Riepe, or Stephanie Thiersch are missing. Familiar faces like CocoonDance, Emanuele Soavi, or Reut Shemesh are present, as well as newcomers Thaddäus Maria Jungmann & Daniela Riebesam, the Bonn ensemble Sanfte Arbeit, or NRW award winner Brig Huezo. So the stage is set for the theaters in Bonn, Düsseldorf, Essen, Cologne, Krefeld, Mülheim, Münster, Viersen, and Wuppertal!
The socio-political changes of our time shape the program. Art also questions certainties and breaks down structures such as patriarchal hierarchies, deals with global warming, and new forms of community. Queerness is addressed by several ensembles. For example, performer Thaddäus Maria Jungmann dances a half-hour pas de deux with a forklift at the festival opening in front of the Tanzhaus NRW in Düsseldorf in "Jungmann und Jungklaus." The choreography negotiates the discriminatory work experiences of a queer person in a logistics center. And the connection between human and machine. Jungmann asks, "how we can 'unman' technical objects to 'queer' and rethink capitalist and patriarchal systems."
Visitors to the "Lotus Fight Club" at Pact Zollverein in Essen must prepare for hardcore. The world premiere by Raymond Liew Jin Pin with the Folkwang Tanzstudio leads into a club where the sodomy law from colonial times in Malaysia catches up with the performers. The ribbons of traditional Chinese dance transform into whips, to whose rhythm the ensemble is subjected. Between fantasies of pleasure and punishment, it defies colonial violence.
The Hamburg choreographer Antje Velsinger focuses on the perspective of future generations in her new production "Their Future" at the Pumpenhaus Münster. The dance artist, known for her socially critical themes and thorough research, examines future models based on interviews with parents and individuals who have chosen not to have children due to the climate crisis. The ensemble experiences changing climatic conditions and shares resources and responsibilities.
The new work of the ever-surprising CocoonDance Company comes to the Tanzhaus NRW hungry for harmony. "Choreia – a Polyballett" seeks a space of community in cooperation with a local choir. The separation between artists and audience dissolves. Through the power of the voice, new forms of embodiment are to be imagined and created.
Promising: Emanuele Soavi's enigmatic performance "The Day I became a Cloud," premiered in 2023 at the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris. It scatters choreographic shards that enter into a dialogue with the architecture. Presence and absence become tangible here. The work is staged in the form of a parcours and adapts to the local conditions, in this case, the former theater in Wuppertal and the Domforum Cologne. The audience follows the dancers and thus merges with the performative installation. A now widely spread concept – and usually an impressive experience.
The festival considers diverse needs and offers, for example, tactile tours for blind and visually impaired audiences. Additionally, live audio description and translations into German Sign Language. More information about the accessibility of all venues can be found on the festival's website.
