About the Tanzfestival Bielefeld

The Tanzfestival Bielefeld combines qualified dance and choreography classes directed by international instructors with performances by modern dance ensembles from around the world. It embraces people with diverse cultural backgrounds and dance skills, from beginners to professionals. Each year, the festival is a major regional event and a top draw for dance enthusiasts worldwide. Five dance studios are setup in the Rudolf-Oetker-Halle, otherwise a classical music venue during the rest of the year. But during the first two weeks of school holidays in North Rhine-Westphalia, the concert hall with its unique atmosphere is transformed into a festive and spirited dance focal point. An annex has been established the last two years at the dance studio DansArt, since the Rudolf-Oetker-Halle is too small for the large number of courses. Pilates and BMC workshops will be held at DansArt.

The wide range of workshops can be booked by the week at budget prices. This allows participants the opportunity to check out various instructors with their own individual interpretations of a dance style, thus enriching their own dance skills. The workshop instructors teach different proficiency levels, ideally accommodating the participants abilities.

The festival kickoff is on Sunday evening, just before the workshops on the following Monday morning begin. The premiere performance, one of five presentations staged by international dance ensembles in all, is held at the "Theaterlabor Tor 6". This alternative theater space, located in the middle of the city, features a large stage and ca. 280 raised seats with excellent and unobstructed views of the action. Before the performance, the host will present the first-week instructors to the audience. This years performance program is dedicated to the theme: “International Aspects in Contemporary Dance”. In addition to the “big” presentation performances at the Theaterlabor, there will be an Off-Program at the DansArt-Theater.

The presentations of the participants can be regarded as the highlights of the festival. At the end of the first workshop week, dancers stage the results of their training in an open-air performance at the centrally located "Rathausplatz". The show is followed by an improvised outdoor disco, which runs to midnight. The festival climax is the final stage presentation. In this performance, the participants of the second workshop week demonstrate their dance skills. In the finale, all of the festival participants come together on the big stage to bid farewell - looking forward to coming together at next year's "Tanzfestival Bielefeld".