Tanz im August – International Festival Berlin

The feeling of imperfection is a constant companion of dance criticism. The “question of how possible it is to describe movement and dance” is also something that is relevant to Tanz im August.

Another forerunner of Tanz im August was the performance series PMTT (Pantomine – Music – Dance – Theatre) at the Akademie der Künste. From 1975 to 1996, PMTT was a showcase for experiments – and the first platform for international contemporary dance in West Berlin. 

This year marks 30 years of Tanz im August and 40 years of Tanzfabrik Berlin – there’s a lot to celebrate! In the 1980s, Tanzfabrik established itself as the home of avant-garde dance in Berlin – which of course didn’t escape the attention of Nele Hertling.

Of course, Tanz im August didn’t just appear out of nowhere. Its history is a part of the history of Berlin, and begins in the post-war period – in 1951, to be precise.

Any history of Tanz im August must also include the history of TanzWerkstatt, which was founded in 1989 by Nele Hertling, and under the leadership of Ulrike Becker and André Thériault, organised the festival in collaboration with HAU Hebbel am Ufer until 2012.

“Blue clothes, silver hair, and a slight, inscrutable smile.” A portrait of Nele Hertling, founder of the festival, who has been a key influence on the dance scene in Berlin and beyond for years.

As Tanz im August’s direct predecessor, the events surrounding Berlin’s year as European Capital of Culture in 1988 paved the way for the festival.

The history of "Tanz im August" is inseparably linked to the history of the Hebbel-Theater. Nele Hertling und Maria Magdalena Schwaegermann talk about the difficult founding of the theatre.

One of the most unusual persons of "30 years Tanz im August" is the dance photographer Klaus Rabien. Actually a baker he came to dance photography by accident in the 1970s.

Searching, searching, perhaps finding something, continuing to search, and then finally finding something worthwhile: a behind-the-scenes look at the research project “FÜR IMMER TANZ – 30 years of Tanz im August”.

To close out FÜR IMMER TANZ – 30 years of Tanz im August, we let the most important element of the festival have a say – the artists.