Tanztriennale

The Tanztriennale highlighted current trends in contemporary dance, attracted new audience groups and promoted exchange between dance professionals in the field. The Triennale brouht together various dance scenes – from urban dance to contemporary aesthetics to classical ballet – genres which have become more differentiated in recent years. In March 2025, the Tanztriennale Hamburg e.V. (Association) was founded. 

The first edition of the Tanztriennale took take place on June 14 – 21 2026 in Hamburg. All information about the new cultural beacon can be found at tanztriennale.de (external link, opens in a new window). 

The Tanztriennale is an initiative of the Kulturstiftung des Bundes.

Moving Meetings

As part of the first edition of Tanztriennale 2026, ‘Moving Meetings (external link, opens in a new window)' are monthly gatherings for dance professionals of all genres, dance cultures, roles and backgrounds to come together to reflect, engage, share and be curious about each other’s practices, beliefs and experiences. Through these meetings the Tanztriennale would like to foster dialogue and exchange on relevant themes and across boundaries that often separate the different dance communities, encouraging a spirit of openness and mutual discovery. In English. Free admission. 

All Moves

‘All Moves (external link, opens in a new window)’ is a new format of the Tanztriennale and invites everyone in Hamburg – with or without dance experience – to explore new ways of moving. Each session is a chance to try out a different style. The genre or artists leading the class will not be revealed in advance – it is all about jumping in with an open mind and letting yourself move, freely and spontaneously, no matter the style or background. No prior dance experience is required. Please wear comfortable clothing and shoes. In German and English. Admission is free. 

Counter Balance – Residencies for Research and Creation

With ‘Counter Balance (external link, opens in a new window)’, the Tanztriennale is launching a new residency format that creates space for artistic experimentation beyond the usual dance canons. As part of an internationally announced open call, artists from all dance backgrounds were invited to apply as a tandem for residencies within the framework of Counter Balance, both in the fields of „Research“ and „Short Creation“. As part of an internationally announced open call, artists from all dance backgrounds were invited to apply as a tandem for residencies within the framework of Counter Balance, both in the fields of „Research“ and „Short Creation“. The call for entries attracted a great deal of interest, with over 600 applications submitted from 60 different countries. The jury has now selected four tandems: 

Research

Fabienne “Foxy” Klüver (Germany) & Sizwe Sihle „Sizwe031“ Mzimela (South Africa/Germany)
Sizwe Sihle “Sizwe031” Mzimela, born in Durban, South Africa, is a DJ and cultural organizer whose work is rooted in the deep connection between music, dance, and community life. Fabienne “Foxy” Klüver, born in Hamburg, Germany, is both a dancer and an Amapiano DJ, with a practice framed by Western training and institutional systems. Their Counter Balance residency is about lived heritage meeting Westernized frameworks, insider experience meeting outsider responsibility. Together they created „Junkpark“, an Amapiano event and community in Germany. Their research will delve into not only the joy and vitality of Amapiano, but also the tensions of translation – questions of authenticity, cultural ownership, and the politics of representation.

Aoife McAtamney & Lucy O’Donnell (Ireland) 
This collaboration unites Irish choreographer and musician Aoife McAtamney with Dublin's Lexicon Library senior librarian Lucy O’Donnell to explore song, dance and choreography in relationship to literature, libraries and its community of readers. Through their cross-cultural research and performance project ‘Authors', they will extend their explorations to new environments outside of Ireland. The Counter Balance residency will enable them to discover cross-sector commonalities and differences between the social and human fabric of dance, literature and the people who inhabit them – and share a creative proposal for what a future German edition of 'Authors' could be.

Short Creation

Reiko Ohta (Japan/Denmark) & Joseph Simon (France /the Netherlands) 
Reiko Ohta, coming from a disciplined ballet background in Japan, and Joseph Simon, having his roots in hip hop culture as a B-boy, connect through their shared interests and visions to propose an unconventional approach to ballet. With this cross-cultural experimentation, they aim to deconstruct elements of hip hop, house dance and ballet, to challenge and play with the social conducts, attitudes and aesthetics that are particular to these dance styles. Hereby, they will explore how ballet can coexist and blend with street and club styles, celebrating the openness to exchange in the spirit of subcultures that honor the sense of individuality, community, self-empowerment and liberation.

Lau Sin Yi (Hong Kong/Spain) & germain (France)
 In their Counter Balance residency, Lau Sin Yi and germain bring together three dance practices – Krump, Waacking, and Flamenco – each born from communities who turned adversity into art. By combining their distinct dance backgrounds, Lau Sin Yi and germain aim to create a space where their shared values – resistance, emotional authenticity, and storytelling – can be explored through a new embodied language. This tandem is not only an act of artistic curiosity, but also of solidarity: What can our movement reveal about the personal and political forces that shaped us? What new forms of expression can emerge when we meet in a space of vulnerability and power?

The jury: Pedro Barreiro (artistic director, O Espaço do Tempo, Montemor-O-Novo), Iván Pérez (artistic director, Dance Theatre Heidelberg), Monique Smith-McDowell (choreographer, performer, and audio describer, Hamburg), Monica Gillette and Gwen Hsin-Yi Chang (co-artistic directors, Tanztriennale Hamburg)

The residencies took place between February and June 2026 at partner locations throughout Germany: HELLERAU – European Center for the Arts (Dresden), Hessian State Ballet (Darmstadt/Wiesbaden), LOFFT – DAS THEATER (Leipzig), Perform[d]ance (Stralsund), Studio Pro Arte – Dance House and Cultural Center (Freiburg), and tanzhaus nrw (Düsseldorf). 

The two works created in the “Short Creations” category will be presented as 30-minute choreographies at the opera stabile in Hamburg as part of the Tanztriennale. The results of the two research residencies will also be presented during the Tanztriennale.

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 convinced us with their broad international experience and their deep understanding of different dance styles, be it ballet, funk, hip -hop, club styles or contemporary dance. Their concept promises to make dance visible in all its potential and to combine the strengths of Hamburg's experienced institutions with global perspectives and new impulses from the independent dance scene. Through active community work, also before and after the Tanztriennale, they open up the format and thus create the basis for a dynamic, relevant programme that includes the versatile dance scene in Germany - from amateurs to international professionals from all over the world - as well as the audience. A space of solidarity will be created in which a new dynamic for the entire scene can develop and from which the Tanztriennale, a new cultural beacon for dance in Germany and internationally, can grow.”

Members of the Search Committee: Joy Alpuerto Ritter (Choreographer, Berlin/Germany), Bruno Bouché (Artistic Director Ballet de l’Opéra national du Rhin, Mulhouse/France), Serge Aimé Coulibaly (Artistic Director Faso Danse Theatre, Brussels/Belgium and Bobo-Dioulasso/Burkina Faso), Ingrida Gerbutavičiūtė (Director tanzhaus nrw, Düsseldorf/Germany), Wanda Puvogel (Director of Dance and Dramaturg Luzern Theater/Switzerland)

Consultants of the Search Committee: Michael Freundt (Managing Director Dachverband Tanz Deutschland), Markus Pitz (Head of the Culture Department at the Ministry for Culture and Media, Hamburg/Germany), Katarzyna Wielga-Skolimowska (Artistic Director Federal Cultural Foundation)

In July 2024 the Foundation’s Board of Trustees selected the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg to host the Tanztriennale. Hamburg was among a number of other outstanding candidates which responded to the public call for proposals. The city of Hamburg was selected on account of its participation-oriented ideas for the urban community, the involvement of well-known dance institutions and its ability to draw international attention. The jury was especially impressed by the innovative way it combined a strong awareness of tradition with the involvement of entirely new dance performers and collectives. With the Tanztriennale, Hamburg aims to tap its great potential to explore the future of dance by means of a genre-spanning approach. The decentralised concept will serve to strengthen the independent dance scene beyond Hamburg’s borders. The organisers hope to establish Hamburg as the permanent host city of the Tanztriennale in the coming years after 2026. The German Federal Cultural Foundation will finance the first edition in 2026 with a maximum of 950,000 euros, while the city of Hamburg has allocated an additional 600,000 euros.

By jointly applying with the Hamburg Ballet and the School of the Hamburg Ballet, the international production venue Kampnagel under general theatre director Amelie Deuflhard and K3 – Centre for Choreography | Tanzplan Hamburg under the artistic direction of Kerstin Evert, the city of Hamburg aims to tie in a large number of partners and stakeholders. Not only will the Tanztriennale include hip-hop and Black dance communities but also museums, contemporary exhibition venues and academic institutions. The Tanztriennale will be broadly anchored in the Hamburg dance scene, test new training formats and draw attention to handling diversity and inclusion in a different way. Moreover, it will establish a link between artistic practice and scientific research in the fields of medicine and health.

The Board of Trustees of the German Federal Cultural Foundation selected Hamburg to host the Tanztriennale on 11 July 2024. All members of the board with close ties to the applying cities voluntarily recused themselves from participating in the selection process.

The Tanztriennale is an initiative of the Kulturstiftung des Bundes (German Federal Cultural Foundation). It is being produced by Tanztriennale Hamburg e.V. and is funded as a cultural beacon by the Federal Cultural Foundation and the Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg, Behörde für Kultur und Medien (Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Ministry of Culture and Media). The Federal Cultural Foundation is funded by the Beauftragter der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien (Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media). Tanztriennale Hamburg e.V. is an association of the Hamburg Ballet/Hamburgische Staatsoper GmbH, Kampnagel Internationale Kulturfabrik GmbH and K3 – Zentrum für Choreographie | Tanzplan Hamburg.