Report 2022

Facts and Figures 2022
Opening internationale tanzmesse nrw 2022 (c) Dirk Rose
Facts and Figures 2022
Opening performance (c) Dirk Rose
Facts and Figures 2022
Agora at NRW Forum (c) Dirk Rose
Facts and Figures 2022
Digital Space (c) Dirk Rose
Facts and Figures 2022
Talk & Connect (c) Lena Busse
Facts and Figures 2022
Open Studio (c) Dirk Rose

From 31 August to 3 September 2022, Düsseldorf became the centre of the global dance community. For the first time since 2018, internationale tanzmesse nrw, the world's most important place for dance creators to meet and network, took place live again. The joy of reunion was all the greater among more than 1,500 professional dance practitioners who had travelled to the dance fair on the Rhine from almost every continent. In the exhibition area called Agora in the NRW Forum in Düsseldorf, companies, artists and institutions from more than 45 countries presented themselves and networked.

The highlight of the four event days of the Tanzmesse were the top-class international performances in various venues in Düsseldorf, Leverkusen, Cologne and Krefeld. This year, the Tanzmesse opened up more to the Düsseldorf public and the dance public of NRW. Ten selected performances were also open to the public, and young audiences were specifically invited to performances for young and intergenerational audiences. With the performances, Looping and Abacus on Gustaf-Gründgens-Platz in Düsseldorf and an installation in the Central Library of the City of Düsseldorf in KAP1, the public was able to experience dance free of charge. "We are very satisfied with the public response. The Düsseldorf audience received our programme with openness, great interest and enthusiasm," says Katharina Kucher, co-director of the international tanzmesse nrw. With around 90% capacity utilisation of public ticket sales, the dance performances in venues such as the tanzhaus nrw and the Capitol Theater were also as good as sold out. In the future, the Tanzmesse would like to open up even more and get more people excited about the different facets of contemporary dance.

Under the new co-direction of Katharina Kucher and Isa Köhler, the 14th edition of the international meeting place for dance practitioners from all over the world has become more diverse, more open and even more international. "We want to rethink dance, to find out together what and where dance can be today in order to do justice to its diversity even more in the future," says co-director Isa Köhler. Especially in times of crisis, the international dance scene needs mutual support, knowledge exchange and a broad spectrum of artistic practices. These aspects were essential components of the professional dance meeting. internationale tanzmesse nrw opened on 31 August at the Capitol Theater, Düsseldorf, with the performance 6.58: MANIFESTO by Andrea Peña, a Canadian choreographer with Colombian roots. In her sweaty piece, she addressed the impact of technology and artificial intelligence on the world. In her opening speech, NRW Minister of Culture Ina Brandes emphasised the internationality of the Tanzmesse and its importance for the personal and artistic exchange of dance creators and promised more support for the cultural scene.

Have a look at the programme here