Tanztriennale

The “Dance Congress” was an international dance convention, public festival and interdisciplinary research lab, which the German Federal Cultural Foundation hosted in six cities between 2006 and 2022. Following the appointment of its new artistic director in 2023, the Foundation held meetings with representatives of the dance scene to develop a concept for the future. 

Tanztriennale – new “cultural beacon” 

These talks laid the groundwork for the Tanztriennale, funded as one of Germany's “cultural beacons”. The plan is to jointly organise the event with a strong municipal partner, and in so doing, highlight current trends in contemporary dance, attract new audience groups and promote exchange between dance professionals in the field. Particular attention will be placed on bringing together various dance scenes – from urban dance to contemporary aesthetics to classical ballet – genres which have become more differentiated in recent years. The first edition of the Tanztriennale is scheduled to debut in 2026.

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. Under general director Demis Volpi, the Hamburg Ballet will serve as a catalyst for new partnerships with other dance artists in the city well after the Tanztriennale and encourage the active participation of people of all ages – with or without a disability. 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.