Logo Tanztriennale
About the Tanztriennale
The Tanztriennale highlights 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. In March 2025, the Tanztriennale Hamburg e.V. (Association) was founded. The Tanztriennale is an initiative of the Kulturstiftung des Bundes.
Background
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 Federal Culture Foundation held meetings with representatives of the dance scene to develop a concept for the future. These talks laid the groundwork for the Tanztriennale, funded as one of Germany's cultural beacons.
Current events
Moving Meetings
As part of the first edition of Tanztriennale 2026, ‘Moving Meetings' 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.
Moving Meeting #6: Demystifying Dramaturgy – from the Institutional to the Practical
13 Jan. 2026, 06.30-09.00 p.m.
Erika-Klütz-Schule
Daimlerstraße 71 A
22761 Hamburg
Join us! We recommend registering by sending an email with the subject “Moving Meeting” to office(at)tanztriennale.de
What is a dramaturg responsible for? How does intention, desired outcome, social context and institutional mission shape a dramaturgical process? How is the relationship between a dramaturg, artist and the public defined and who or what is defining it? Moving Meeting #6 invites Vivien Arnold (Hamburg Ballet), Niklaus Bein (K3) and Luise März (Kampnagel), the three dramaturgs of the partner institutions of the Tanztriennale, to share their perspectives, positions and practices as a starting point. Then the conversation will move into more practical and personal approaches to practicing dramaturgy in a creative process.
Guests:
- Yolanda Morales (born in Chiapas, Mexico) works as a choreographer and performer in Hamburg. Her works have been presented in Germany and on worldwide stages. In her choreographic work, she combines political and social realities with poetic fictional bodies in spaces charged with tension. She was a resident artist at K3 (2023-2024) and as a guest choreographer, she teaches at the Contemporary Dance School Hamburg (CDSH). She is currently working on her research project Labor Movements: above, under, and for the earth, exploring labor movements in extractive spaces from a decolonial ecology perspective.
- Vivien Arnold is Chief Dramaturg for the Hamburg Ballet. She received her dance training at the Hartford Ballet School, the School of American Ballet, and the Heinz Bosl Foundation, and danced with the Hartford Ballet. She graduated from Wesleyan University with a thesis entitled The Ballet Body: Changing Perspectives on the Feminine Ideal. She has held roles in dramaturgy, marketing, press and public relations at Houston Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, and Gauthier Dance at Theaterhaus Stuttgart, later working as Director of Dramaturgy and Communications of the Stuttgart Ballet until 2024. She was “Sachverständige für Tanz” for the Der Faust theater award (2013-15) and is the editor of a biography of Reid Anderson and editor of “John Cranko: Tanzvisionär” (both published by Henschel Verlag).
- Niklaus Bein is a dramaturg and deputy director of K3 | Tanzplan Hamburg. As a freelance dramaturg, he works with choreographers Raymond Liew Jin Pin, Luísa Saraiva and Maria Zimpel, among others. Previously, he held various positions, most recently as programme dramaturg for Theaterfestival Basel, as a staff member for the Treibstoff Theatertage and as production manager for the GLÜCK collective. He studied BA Scenic Arts at the University of Hildesheim and Central Saint Martins College London and MA Cultural Studies with a focus on art history and media studies at the University of Lüneburg. Since November 2024, he has been a jury member for “Recherche und Basisförderung” at the Ministry of Culture and Media Hamburg. As an outside eye, he also supervised residencies at Campus PCS / Teatro Municipal do Porto and on/off Residency at artlink Switzerland.
- Luise März is a dramaturg and curator. She studied scenic arts at the University of Hildesheim and her artistic research focused on post-dramaturgies as strategies for destabilising continuity. During her studies, she realised various artistic projects and worked at the Thalia Theater, the Schauspielhaus Hannover, the Berlin Theatertreffen and the Festival Theaterformen, among others. Since 2021 she has been part of the dramaturgy at Kampnagel - Internationales Zentrum für schönere Künste. She is responsible for the dance programme and various local and international networks.
What to expect: The session will begin with a physical entry to the topic led by Yolanda Morales and will be followed by a discussion between Vivien Arnold, Niklaus Bein and Luise März, moderated by Monica Gillette (co-artistic director of the Tanztriennale). We will then move into practical examples and exchanges for participants to engage with.
Participation is voluntary and can be adapted to one’s needs and desires. Erike-Klütz-Schule is wheelchair accessible. For additional access needs or questions, please contact us via office(at)tanztriennale.de.
Write to us with the subject “Newsletter” to receive the latest news and event invitations.
Moving Meeting #7
24 Feb., 06.30-09.00 p.m.
Ballettzentrum, Studio Petipa
Hamburg
Moving Meeting #8
12 Mar., 02.00-04.00 p.m.
HELLERAU – Europäisches Zentrum der Künste
(Tanzplattform)
Moving Meeting #5
Moving Meeting #5: What’s Mine Is Yours? The Ownership and Inclusivity of Dances
13 Dec. 2025, 15.00–18.00 p.m.
WIESE, Wiesendamm 24, 22305 Hamburg
How does knowledge specific to a dance style circulate? What makes a practice exclusive to a community, and when does this sense of exclusivity remain or dissolve? Who decides what stays authentic? And how can cultural and artistic integrity be protected while allowing for transformation, hybridity and creative freedom? Moving Meeting #5 invites Eylül Fidan Akıncı, JC Hernandez and Mawuto Dotou to discuss questions of ownership, evolution and economy within Hip Hop, club and street styles. The session examines the frictions between creativity and spectacle, communal virtuosity and global virality, popular appeal and artistic inquiry – asking how dance can sustain opacity, ambiguity and slow emotional impact in a world hungry for instant stimulation.
Guests:
- JC Hernandez (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist who bridges art, organization, and community. With an economics background and many years of production experience at Kampnagel, as well as collaborations with institutions such as Deichtorhallen, Kunstmeile Hamburg, Fleetstreet Theater, and international projects like Flavourama Dance Festival (Salzburg) and Figma Config (San Francisco), she combines organizational precision with artistic vision. As a production and event manager, curator, dancer and choreographer, JC creates interdisciplinary spaces where creative and structural processes align. Through her work with Educate to Recreate, she advocates for sustainable structures in Black Dance Culture and strengthens connections between culture and community.
- Mawuto Dotou (they/them) works as a freelance communication designer, combining design with social and cultural perspectives. Their projects span research, teaching, and practice, opening perspectives on Black and queer realities. They share their knowledge and experience in workshops, talks, and mentoring sessions. In 2024, Mawuto was a resident at the Hamburg Art Collections Foundation at the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe and serves as the Art Director within Educate to Recreate.
- Eylül Fidan Akıncı works across dramaturgy, research, teaching and organizing in the performing arts. She is currently the dance programmer at STUK Arts Center in Leuven, Belgium. She has worked as a house dramaturg and production associate in the Netherlands, the U.S., and Türkiye. She earned her Ph.D. in Theatre and Performance at The Graduate Center, City University of New York, focusing on the oeuvres of choreographers Pina Bausch, Eiko Otake, Mette Ingvartsen, Geumhyung Jeong and Gisèle Vienne. She lectures on dance dramaturgy and theory at institutions such as Amsterdam University of the Arts, Royal Conservatoire Antwerp, and Goethe University Frankfurt. Her writing on performance has appeared in Etcetera, Performance Research, and other publications.
Programme: The session begins with a physical entry led by JC Hernandez, followed by a dialogue between JC Hernandez, Mawuto Dotou and Eylül Fidan Akıncı, opening into a facilitated exchange with everyone present. Participation is voluntary and can be adapted to one’s needs and desires. WIESE is wheelchair accessible. For additional access needs or questions, please contact us via email (office@tanztriennale.de).
Moving Meeting #3
Moving Meeting #3 – Navigating with Different Maps
25 Oct. 2025, 03.00–06.00 p.m.
Opera Stabile Hamburg (Hamburgische Staatsoper/Hamburg Ballett)
Extending from the topic of dance heritage in Moving Meeting #2, the gathering focused on how we navigate the complexities of intercultural exchange, informed by traditions, legacies and contexts different from our own. How do we navigate when we hold different “maps”? What supports our personal compass and what is needed to illuminate the path towards respectful and liberating collaboration? To enter the conversation, the session began with a warm-up from Anand Dhanakoti, a dancer and choreographer trained in Indian martial arts and yoga at the Kalari Gurukulam. Then we heared from Co-Artistic Director of the Tanztriennale, Gwen Hsin-Yi Chang, what questions she carries as she continuously moves between Asian and European landscapes, followed by Arco Renz, choreographer, dramaturg and initiator of Monsoon, a platform for European and Asian collaboration that aims to examine conventional stereotypes through collaborative exploration and discussion of diverse cultural and socio political contexts.
Guests:
- Anand Dhanakoti is a dancer and choreographer. He was trained in Indian martial arts and yoga at the Kalari Gurukulam, studied Flying Low with David Zambrano and graduated from the Contemporary Dance School Hamburg. As a dancer and co-choreographer he has worked with Matej Kejzar, Abhilash Ningappa, Adam Linder and Ursina Tossi among others. His pieces 'Thuli', 'Kntsugi', 'Immer', 'Kelli' and 'Baalya' have been shown internationally. He also holds a BA degree in Economics, Political Science and Sociology from St. Joseph's College, Bangalore.
- Gwen Hsin-Yi Chang, co-artistic director of the Tanztriennale, is originally from Taiwan and has lived and worked across Asia and Europe for several years. Her commitment to intercultural exchange began in 2014 when she started her entrepreneurship, later transformed into AxE Arts Europa, a platform dedicated to fostering creative collaboration between Asian and European artists in dance and contemporary circus. Her recent dramaturgy work with Ljuzem Madiljin, Ljuzem’s Walk creates dialogue and reflection about cultural heritage and participatory rituals in public spaces. Fluent in Mandarin, Taiwanese, English, French and German, Chang is a passionate advocate for cultural mobility and artistic dialogue across borders.
- Arco Renz is a choreographer, curator and dramaturge engaged in transcultural projects across Europe and Asia. As founding artistic director of Brussels-based Kobalt Works (established 2000), he has created an extensive body of independent choreographic works, as well as commissioned pieces for opera houses and institutional dance companies around the world. Over the past 20 years, he has facilitated collaborative performance projects and dramaturgical work with dance makers from Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Taiwan, Laos, and Thailand. He initiated Monsoon, a research platform connecting Asian and European artists, curated Festival EUROPALIA Indonesia 2017's performing arts section, and currently serves on the Indonesian Dance Festival's curatorial team. A Flemish Ministry of Culture grantee, he focuses on transmitting and innovating immaterial cultural heritage through the performing arts.
Programme: 30 min Physical warm-up and introduction to the topic with Anand Dhanakoti | 30 min Inputs by Gwen Hsin-Yi Chang & Arco Renz | 90 min Facilitated discussion and exchange for all participants.
Moving Meeting #2
Moving Meeting #2: Dance Heritage – The Stories We Are Told
29. Sept. 2025, 06.30 – 09:00 p.m.
Kampnagel, P1, Jarrestraße 20, 22303 Hamburg
Moving Meeting #2 delved into the topic of ‘Dance Heritage – The Stories We Are Told’: Who has shaped your dance heritage? And what role does this heritage play in your artistic choices? Has it been shaped by institutional training, peer-to-peer learning, cultural transmission, social contexts – or all of the above? How one arrives at dance and the experiences made along the way can deeply influence the relationship to one’s dance heritage, whether through a sense of responsibility, rejection, re-appropriation or transformation. For Moving Meetings #2 we were interested to reflect on the stories we have been told, by who and how they have been told to us to better understand the many dance heritages we carry and how they may be in dialogue with each other within the dance field.
Guests:
- Virginia “Aura” Lewerissa – dancer and artist, two-time Krump world champion. For over 14 years she has been shaping the international scene with her powerful movement language and emotional presence – both on stage and in battles.
- Peggy Olislaegers – one of Europe’s leading dance dramaturgs. She works across ballet, contemporary dance and hip hop, advising choreographers and institutions throughout Europe, and has served as director of the Dutch Dance Festival as well as Artistic Associate at Rambert (London).
Programme:
The session began with a physical introduction to the theme (30 minutes), led by Virginia “Aura” Lewerissa. This was followed by a presentation from Peggy Olislaegers (30 minutes), who then led a facilitated discussion and exchange (90 minutes). All programme elements were voluntary and could be adapted to individual needs. The venue is wheelchair accessible.
All Moves
‘All Moves’ 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. The capacity is limited, please register in advance via e-mail with the subject “All Moves”: office(at)tanztriennale.de.
All Moves #4
22 January 2026, 7.00-8.00 p.m.
MARKK Museum am Rothenbaum, Gewölbekeller
Rothenbaumchausee 64, 20148 Hamburg
Counter Balance – Residencies for Research and Creation
With „Counter Balance“, 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, lasting several weeks, will take 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 in June 2026 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.
Artistic Directors
The Tanztriennale is the latest cultural beacon in the field of dance. The international selection committee has nominated two outstanding women to head its first edition in 2026: the dramaturge Monica Gillette and the dance curator Gwen Hsin-Yi Chang. 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 diverse dance scenes.
Biography Monica Gillette
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”.
Biography Gwen Hsin-Yi Chang
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 Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying), 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.
Statement of the Search Committee
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)
Host City
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.
Funding
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.
Dates
14 June, 2026 to 21 June, 2026: Tanztriennale 2026
various venues, Hamburg
Previous events
19 January, 2024 : Digitale Informationsveranstaltung in deutscher Sprache
10:00 – 11:00 Uhr
18 January, 2024 : Digitale Informationsveranstaltung in englischer Sprache
14:30 – 15:30 Uhr
Contact
Artistic Directors / Team Tanztriennale
Karin Kirchhoff
Kulturstiftung des Bundes
Franckeplatz 2
06110 Halle an der Saale
Tel: 49 (0)345 2997 169
E-Mail