Award: Deutscher Tanzpreis 2024
explore dance received the award for outstanding development in dance
On October 12th, explore dance – dance network for young audiences will receive an award for outstanding development in dance as part of the German Dance Prize 2024 – and thus one of the highest and most prestigious awards that dance has to offer in Germany. A great honor and a triumph in equal measure for the nationwide network, which has been promoting access to contemporary dance for children and young people since 2018 through the production, touring, mediation and reception of dance pieces and thus permanently strengthening the visibility of this art form.
The German Dance Prize is awarded in three categories by the umbrella organization Tanz Deutschland as part of a festive gala event in the Aalto Theater Essen. For explore dance, the award goes to the four partner institutions that support the nationwide cooperation project: fabrik moves Potsdam, Fokus Tanz | Tanz und Schule e.V. Munich, K3 | Tanzplan Hamburg and HELLERAU – European Center for the Arts.
Sasha Waltz will be awarded the German Dance Prize 2024 for her artistic work, Dieter Heitkamp will receive the award for his life’s work.
In the statement of reasons given by the jury chaired by Dr. Adriana Almeida Pees, which selected explore dance as the winner from numerous suggestions by associations, institutions and dance artists, it says:
With great commitment and cultural-political energy, explore dance is committed to dance for young audiences – and thus also to its own mission “to close the still existing gap in the cultural offering for children and young people in Germany”. […] Networks are constellations without a center. A network that wants to work across federal states needs strong nodes – and the perseverance to use and maintain them sustainably and permanently. This is exactly what explore dance achieves – multidirectionally, for 6 seasons, in several locations, with many creative bodies and minds – for a large audience of children and young people.”
The award for outstanding development in dance is endowed with 5000 euros, which explore dance will immediately invest in future productions. Despite a 6-year success story with over 30 productions, 500 performances and hundreds of mediation offers at schools and educational institutions nationwide and internationally, the network still lacks a long-term financing perspective. In addition to the ongoing support of the co-funding states and municipalities of the currently four partner cities in the network – Hamburg, Munich, Potsdam and Dresden – explore dance, as a nationwide network, is dependent on federal funds. However, federal funding is currently only secured for one year – until the end of 2024.
“We are extremely pleased about this outstanding honor, which once again wonderfully confirms our work and our goal of promoting cultural participation with explore dance and creating access to the art form of dance for children and young people,” say the heads of the four partner institutions, Dr. Kerstin Evert (K3 | Tanzplan Hamburg, Carena Schlewitt (HELLERAU), Simone Schulte-Aladag & Anja Brixle (Fokus Tanz München) and Sven Till (fabrik moves Potsdam).
“We would like to thank our co-sponsoring cities and states, which have been closely supporting explore dance since 2018, and all federal politicians who are committed to explore dance. Especially at this point in time, when the network’s continued existence is only guaranteed until the end of 2024, being honored with the German Dance Prize is a promising signal for the future.”
For the future, explore dance already has concrete plans for expansion and further development:
This year, five new productions in pop-up format will have their premieres, which can tour nationwide and internationally and bring dance in the city and in the country directly to the target audience in schools, educational institutions and public spaces. From 2025, additional partner locations from other federal states will be included in the network in order to reach even more children and young people throughout Germany, regardless of where they live or their social background.
explore dance – dance for young audiences has set itself the goal of giving children and young people sustainable access to contemporary dance and thus strengthening the visibility of this art form on a permanent and equal basis with other arts. Through the production, communication and reception of dance pieces that are developed and tested by established choreographers specifically for and in exchange with children and young people, the area of dance is to be established nationwide at a high level of artistic quality in the cultural offering for children and young people and anchored in cultural education. explore dance relies on the diversity of current contemporary dance styles and on innovative formats that children and young people can enjoy regardless of where they live and
open up participation in artistic experiences in their social context.
explore dance – dance network for young audiences is a nationwide cooperation project created as part of the TANZPAKT STADT-LAND-BUND funding (2018 to 2023).
Supported by: fabrik moves Potsdam, Fokus Tanz | Tanz und Schule e.V. Munich, K3 | Tanzplan Hamburg and HELLERAU – European Center for the Arts.
Funded by: Funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media as well as by the Authority for Culture and Media of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, the Cultural Department of the State Capital of Munich and the Bavarian State Association for Contemporary Dance from funds from the Bavarian State Ministry of Education and Culture as well as by the State Capital of Potsdam, the Ministry of Science, Research and Culture of the State of Brandenburg, the Saxon State Ministry of Science and Art and the State Capital of Dresden.
With the kind support of: ART MENTOR FOUNDATION LUCERNE.
