In the organizer's words:

Highlighting Artistic Ideas & Values

The international dance fair nrw is organized by nrw landesbuero tanz and is the largest professional meeting for contemporary dance. As a forum for exchange, knowledge transfer and networking, the dance fair is an important meeting place for international dance professionals. The up to 1,500 international exhibitors and visitors come together every two years at the end of August in Düsseldorf and present a broad spectrum of aesthetic expressions and artistic practices.

From trade fair to marketplace of ideas

Launched in 1994 as Tanzmesse NRW, the internationale tanzmesse nrw focused primarily on the marketing and distribution of dance productions in its founding years. In the years that followed, it developed into the most important international meeting place for contemporary dance. Today, the main focus is on networking dance professionals and the exchange of knowledge.

The three areas Agora, Talk & Connect and the performance program make up the international tanzmesse nrw.

Next edition: August 28 - 31, 2024

The meeting: Agora, Talk & Connect and Performance Program

The Agora as an exhibition venue forms the center of the international dance fair nrw. Companies, artists, institutions and organizations present themselves here. The Agora functions as a meeting place for dance professionals and is the place where guest performances are arranged, collaborations are forged and new projects are initiated. In the open areas and networking islands, exhibitors have the opportunity to present their work and make new contacts. The Agora creates diverse encounters at eye level.

The Talk & Connect discourse program offers space for knowledge transfer and discussion between dance professionals. Here, current social issues are explored and a dialog about the values of the global dance community is entered into. In addition to classic formats such as keynotes and panels, new discussion formats will be tested in which the participants meet as experts in their field.

In the performance program of the international dance fair nrw, artists will present selected works on stage, outdoors and digitally to international trade visitors and a dance-loving audience. This also includes intergenerational works aimed at a cross-generational (professional) audience. In Open Studios and Insights, artists and dance professionals will provide an insight into their artistic productions, working methods, plans and project ideas.

Jury

The four associated curators Natacha Melo (Montevideo/Uruguay), Julia Asperska (Poznan/Poland), Dan Daw (London/UK) and Quito Tembe (Maputo/Mozambique) will select the performance program as well as the open studios and pitchings together with the management of the international dance fair nrw.

nrw state office for dance

The organizer of the international dance fair nrw is the nrw landesbuero tanz under the management of Heike Lehmke. The nrw landesbuero tanz is an information center, networking point and contact for the professional dance scene in North Rhine-Westphalia. It initiates projects, collaborations and discourses in the field of professional contemporary dance and supports the work of dance professionals in NRW by offering networking and qualification formats and providing the dance scene with collegial advice. With its projects, it gives dance public visibility and opens up diversity-related approaches to dance. Among other things, it is the organizer and sponsor of DYNAMO - Young Dance Platform NRW (annual), the tanz nrw festival (biennial) and the international dance fair nrw (biennial).

Dance Land North Rhine-Westphalia

The international dance fair nrw takes place in Düsseldorf, the capital of the North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) region, and in surrounding cities. NRW is the most densely populated region in Germany and its diverse dance scene is based on a long tradition. The unique national structure for contemporary dance is characterized by international networking. Lighthouse institutions include the future Pina Bausch Center in Wuppertal, PACT Zollverein and the Folkwang University in Essen, the German Dance Archive Cologne, the Center for Contemporary Dance (ZZT) and the nrw landesbuero tanz in Cologne as well as the tanzhaus nrw and the international dance fair nrw in Düsseldorf. In addition to the ten companies of the municipal theaters, NRW has a strong independent dance scene as well as exemplary projects in the field of dance education and young dance.

History

Founded under the name "Tanzmesse NRW", the now renowned meeting first took place in Essen in 1994 under the direction of initiator Anne Neumann-Schultheis. The dance fair was initiated by the Gesellschaft für Zeitgenössischen Tanz as a "showcase for dance in NRW" and quickly developed into an international networking event for dance. After three editions at the Zeche Zollverein (1994, 1997, 2000), the international tanzmesse nrw took place for the first time in 2002 and from this edition onwards biennially in Düsseldorf. With the move to Düsseldorf, Kajo Nelles took over the management of the dance fair. Together with Carolelinda Dickey, who had accompanied the dance fair for many years and paved the way for the event's international appeal, he ensured its rapid growth and high profile. Under his leadership and with his team of advisors and curators consisting of Roman Arndt, Carolelinda Dickey and Christian Watty, sustainable networks were created with dance professionals in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. The 2014 and 2016 editions under the direction of Felix Wittek focused more strongly on the idea of exchange and networking as well as the expansion of international cooperation among the participants. Like his successor Dieter Jaenicke (2018 & 2020 editions), he also focused on the inclusion of other dance professionals from Australia, South America and Africa. In 2020, the international dance fair nrw took place as a one-day online event due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 2022 edition took place for the first time under the direction of Isa Köhler and Katharina Kucher.

Source

Price information:

https://www.tanzmesse.com/de/service/tickets/