12th International Festival Berlin
11.8. – 27.8.2000
Dance and theater are converging more and more – the respective audiences are intermingling, dance is conquering city theaters, Düsseldorf and Essen have venues specifically devoted to dance, and a similar "Tanzhaus" is being created in Vienna. Actually, the boundaries between the two genres have been blurred for quite a while now. The contemporary performing arts are responding to principles originating in soap operas, talk shows, film, and electronic media and work with all methods and means at their disposal. For this reason, numerous artists at this year's festival integrate language, video, visual arts, and new media into their work.
The format of our brochure has changed. It is now in the form of a flyer - less expensive, since we all have to economize, but also more practical and with a better overview. You will see that large, elaborate productions share the stage with intimate solo pieces and experimental work from the international dance scene. A total of sixteen pieces from nine countries lie in store for you.
This year, we are introducing a particularly large number of newcomers still unknown in Germany, and have intensified our focus on other continents with work from Canada, Russia, Argentina and Japan. The artists respond to developments in art and in their social environment that are no less relevant and accessible here in Europe without losing the unique fascination and allure of their individual traditions.
(Excerpt from the foreword to the 2000 programme by Nele Hertling, Marion Ziemann, Ulrike Becker and André Thériault)
Venues 2000: Hebbel-Theater, Sophiensæle, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Podewil, Theater am Halleschen Ufer, Schiller Theater and Deutsche Oper.
