Gillette and Chang will be responsible for shaping the profile of the Tanztriennale for the entire dance community – from classical ballet to contemporary aesthetics to urban dance and many other styles. The two artistic directors will be developing a programme consisting of dance productions, artistic projects for professional and amateur dance artists, and formats that promote networking between the diverse dance scenes.
In July 2024, following a special call for applications, the Board of Trustees of the German Federal Cultural Foundation selected the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg to host the Tanztriennale. The city of Hamburg looks forward to hosting the festival in cooperation with the Hamburg Ballet and the School of the Hamburg Ballet, the international production venue Kampnagel and K3 – Centre for Choreography | Tanzplan Hamburg.
The position of artistic director was advertised for either individual or multiple applicants. After reviewing all the submissions, the international selection committee voted unanimously to appoint Monica Gillette and Gwen Hsin-Yi Chang as co-directors: “Monica Gillette and Gwen Hsin-Yi Chang impressed us with their broad international experience and their profound understanding of a wide range of dance styles, be it ballet, funk, hip-hop, club styles or contemporary dance. Their concept promises to highlight the full potential of dance and to tie the strengths of Hamburg’s experienced institutions with global perspectives and new impulses from the independent dance scene. Through active community outreach before and after the Tanztriennale, they will present the format to prospective audiences and establish a foundation for a dynamic and relevant programme that integrates Germany’s multifaceted dance scene – amateurs and professional artists – from around the world. Their concept will thus create a supportive environment where a new dynamic can unfold for the entire scene, and from which the Tanztriennale can become a new cultural beacon in Germany and the world.”
The artistic director of the German Federal Cultural Foundation Katarzyna Wielga-Skolimowska greeted the decision: “Monica Gillette and Gwen Hsin-Yi Chang bring a lot of experience and commitment to the table, and they advocate with great credibility an inclusive approach that shifts the unifying character of dance to the fore. I am convinced – thanks to their networking and knowledge of the artistic development of dance – that the first edition of the Tanztriennale will positively impact the scene in Germany and beyond.”
Dr Carsten Brosda, Hamburg senator for cultural and media affairs, explained: “The cultural city of Hamburg is home to an impressive nationally and internationally active dance scene. The Tanztriennale builds on this diverse scene and emphasises the potentials of interconnecting various production forms and cultivating international networking. As co-artistic directors of the Tanztriennale, Monica Gillette and Gwen Hsin-Yi Chang are an outstanding choice – especially with regard to promoting international standing and bringing the dance scene together. We congratulate them both and look forward to our future collaboration and the network that will develop for the dance scene thanks to the Tanztriennale in Hamburg. I am certain that we can eagerly look forward to an extraordinary celebration of dance.”
Monica Gillette is currently a dramaturge at the Tanzhaus Zürich and conducts research on behalf of the European Dance Development Network (EDN). She completed her training in classical ballet in the United States and subsequently gained experience in contemporary dance in various capacities in Europe, most recently with the ensemble of the Theater Freiburg. In addition to her work as a dramaturge, she has specialised in international projects that combine dance with social commitment and cultural exchange. Her more recent endeavours include several European dance projects, e.g. “Migrant Bodies/Moving Borders”, “Empowering Dance” and “Dancing Museums – The Democracy of Beings”.
Gwen Hsin-Yi Chang has specialised in cross-disciplinary artistic projects and, as a curator, has gained extensive experience from several projects in the field of dance. She was a guest curator of the 2022 Dance Congress in Mainz and headed the section for international partnerships at the National Art and Cultural Centre Weiwuying (Kaohsiung, Taiwan), the Taiwan Dance und Weiwuying Circus Platforms. She initiated the AxE Arts Europe network in Luxembourg, dedicated to promoting artistic exchange in the performing arts. Chang is a partner in the European dance platform Aerowaves and a steering committee member of the Circus Asia Network.
Members of the selection committee: Joy Alpuerto Ritter (choreographer, Berlin), Bruno Bouché (artistic director of l’Opéra national du Rhin, Mulhouse/France), Serge Aimé Coulibaly (artistic director of Faso Danse Theatre, Brussels/Belgium and Bobo-Dioulasso/Burkina Faso), Ingrida Gerbutavičiūtė (general theatre director of tanzhaus nrw, Düsseldorf), Wanda Puvogel (dance director and dramaturge of Luzerner Theater/Switzerland)
Advisors to the selection committee: Michael Freundt (managing director of Tanz Deutschland), Markus Pitz (department head for cultural affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Media, Hamburg), Katarzyna Wielga-Skolimowska (artistic director of the German Federal Cultural Foundation)
For more details about the Tanztriennale, visit www.kulturstiftung-des-bundes.de/tanztriennale (external link, opens in a new window).
Download free photos (and corresponding credits) of the newly selected artistic directors here (external link, opens in a new window).
For more information about the programmes and projects of the German Federal Cultural Foundation, visit us at www.kulturstiftung-bund.de (external link, opens in a new window). If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us!