Dance Heritage Fund

Fund for artistic projects which promote the cultural heritage of dance. A programme initiated by the Federal Cultural Foundation

The aesthetic and stylistic diversity of the German dance scene is the result of more than 100 years of development. The international careers of such renowned artists as Mary Wigman, Dore Hoyer, Tatjana Gsovsky, Rudolf Laban, William Forsythe and Pina Bausch all began at dance production venues in Germany. However, modern dance in Germany remains an artistic domain with a largely unexplored history and only limited public visibility. German theatres and dance training centres are still failing to adequately preserve, study and present the cultural heritage of 20th-century dance.

The dance scene is strongly interested in better presenting Germany’s dance heritage to the public and integrating it into the education of dancers and choreographers. At present, neither publicly financed dance theatres and companies, nor freelance artists are capable of providing such additional instruction.

In view of this situation, the Federal Cultural Foundation has established a new fund of 2.5 million euros to promote the cultural heritage of dance in Germany. The fund will help dance artists cultivate the repertory of the 20th century, support the re-acquisition or reconstruction of historic dance works of outstanding significance, and lay the foundation for a systematic and exemplary evaluation of the history of modern dance in Germany. 

Dance Fund to award funding to 10 artistic projects which promote the cultural heritage of dance
On 22 March 2012, the jury decided which projects should receive funding through the Dance Heritage Fund. The ten selected projects from seven German states will receive a total of 830,000 euros in funding.

The funded projects:
Avista Film, Munich:
   „Poeten des Tanzes – Die Sacharoffs“
Bühnen und Orchester der Stadt Bielefeld:
   „Tanztheater von Reinhild Hoffmann“
K3 - Zentrum für Choreographie I Tanzplan Hamburg / Kampnagel:
   „volkstanzen heute“
Produktionszentrum Tanz + Performance, Stuttgart:
   „Tanzlokal / Tanzfest – Reflexionen und zeitgenössische Positionen zur
   Tanzgeschichte ab 1920 im Südwesten“
Joint Adventures – Walter Heun, Munich:
   „Auf den Spuren des grünen Tisches (Modul 2)“
Paula Rosolen, Frankfurt:
   „Piano Men – Ein Choreographisches Konzert für 2 Pianisten“
Jochen Roller, Berlin:
   „The Source Code”
Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau:
   „Bauhaus tanzen“
Ligna, Hamburg & Berlin:
   „Tanz aller“
Antje Pfundtner, Hamburg:
   „Stoff“

For more detailed descriptions of these projects, visit the Dance Fund website. Complete application details to be announced on the project’s website www.tanzfonds.de.

Jury of experts for the Dance Heritage Fund
Prof. Rose Breuss, director of the Institute for Dance Arts at the Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität in Linz, Austria
Bettina Masuch, artistic director of the Springdance Festival in Utrecht (NL)
Prof. Martin Puttke, member of the board of the German Professional Association of Dance Education
Dr. Christiane Theobald, deputy general director and managing director of the Berlin Opera Foundation
Prof. Dr. Christina Thurner, assistant professor with specialization in Dance Studies at the Institute of Theatre Studies at the Universität Bern

Funding period: 2012 - 2014