FolkDanceParty

FolkDanceParty 2.0 isback! On September 12, at the Village Square Festival, you’ll have another chance to join the celebration.

FolkDanceParty 2.0 isa collaboratively created dance floor—a celebration where participating groups, clubs, and communities present their own dances and invite the audience to join in. At its heart is a vibrant “Common Dance”: It was developed collaboratively over the past few months by artists Hannah Shakti Bühler and Simon Mayer together with people, clubs, and groups from a wide variety of backgrounds and traditions. The result invites you to discover styles ranging from Indian, Romanian, and Turkish folk dances to voguing and even the Schuhplattler—to jump in and simply dance along. 

Everyone can join in, but no one has to—you can, of course, experience the special atmosphere, zest for life, and performance just as much as a spectator. Be sure to arrive on time—it may be called a party, but it’s an evening you’ll want to experience from the very beginning.

 

Project Background:

FolkDanceParty 2.0was launched by Simon Mayer (choreographer, musician, and performer from Austria) and Hannah Shakti Bühler (choreographer, performer, and professor of contemporary dance at the HfMDK Frankfurt). Since 2025, the project has been presented in various versions in different cities: at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, the Centre National de La Danse, the “Tanzwelten” exhibition at the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn, and the International Maifestspiele at the State Theaters in Wiesbaden and Darmstadt. In Mannheim, the groups worked on the project for several months. During this time, several“Meet the Folks”evenings were held to give the public a chance to get to know the artists. In the future, the program has been invited to perform in Spain, among other places.

Featuring:

Concept and Artistic Direction:Simon Mayer and Hannah Shakti Bühler/ Voguing and Greek Dances:Konstantinos Sykoutris/ Circus, Contemporary, and French Folk Dance: Louise de Palaminy/ Our Dances, Our Dance:Sayeh Nikgohar, Derya Dinç, Deniz Beren Akural/ Bihu Dance: Rrishika Kakoty and Remya Ramachandran Nair/ Flow Art, fire dance, and hula hoop:Vika/ Urban styles:Nina Paschke/ Promoroaca—Romanian music and dance: Ionel Chiriță/ Project Assistant:Melaid Sahmi