4th International Festival Berlin
5.8. – 23.8.1992
Recent developments in Berlin point towards a brighter future for dance in this city. These developments would not have been possible without the perseverance and vitality shown by the city’s dance creators and producers in the last few years.
After the opening of the Berlin Wall, a Round Table for Dance was initiated, bringing together dancers, choreographers, theater directors and festival organisers from both the contemporary and classical streams. Together, they formulated a clear plan promoting the development of dance in Berlin and demanding the attention of politicians. An exhaustive list of shortages within the Berlin dance community now exists: inadequate rehearsal studios, insufficient performance spaces, inappropriate funding policies and the complete absence of educational institutions for dancers and choreographers not aiming for a career in classical ballet.
Since its founding in 1988, the TanzWerkstatt has succeeded in annually giving the possiblity to train with renowned dancers and choreographers from around the world, offering an insight into their working methods and their visions. This has, in the last five years, contributed enormously to the enrichment of dance in Berlin. The high international standing of the TanzWerkstatt is what finally gave it credibility and support in its place of origin.
The first TanzWerkstatt Berlin took place in June 1988. For three weeks, choreographers, dancers and interested people from many European countries, the USA and Canada had the opportunity to get acquainted with each other’s work and experiment with collaborations. Through numerous projects, workshops and encounters, the participants were able to gain experience that partly threw new light on their own work and also helped indicate new directions.
TanzWerkstatt Berlin 1989 builds on the experiences of last year and attempts to continue the underlying ideas of the workshop – working in common and encountering each other through the work – and to develop them further. Complementing these activities, the performance series at the Hebbel-Theater offers the chance to get to know productions by various European choreographers and groups. The works selected showcase the diversity and vitality of the contemporary dance scene, one which has demonstrated the power to captivate and inspire a steadily growing audience.
(Excerpt from the foreword to the 1992 programme by Nele Hertling)
Venues 1992: Hebbel-Theater, Podewil, Tacheles and Schloßpark Charlottenburg.
