Dear audience,
it’s hard to believe: the third and final week of the festival is now behind us, featuring two wonderful premieres, two German premieres, 17 performances, fascinating artist talks and a fantastic festival closing party.
Last Saturday, 29th of August, marked the end of the 38th edition of the International Festival Tanz im August. This year’s festival presented dance as a political force that generates interaction and impact and turned Berlin once again into a vibrant meeting place, a space for aesthetic experimentation and social exchange.
Overall, Tanz im August can look back on nearly three successful weeks, during which 19 productions were presented at 11 venues – including 3 premieres, 6 German premieres, and 4 Berlin and international co-productionswithin 54 events.
A capacity of 98% with approximately 17.350 regular visitors, and additional about 500 visitors to the free event “Outbox Me x Tanz im August” – a dance battle on Tempelhofer Feld presented in cooperation with Outbox Movement – as well as 150 workshop participants, demonstrates the festival’s strong resonance with a diverse audience, with venues predominantly sold out.
This year's festival welcomed around 510 dance professionals from the national and international dance scene, who travelled to Berlin especially for the world premieres and German premieres. In addition, around 95 press representatives from regional, national and international media outlets were accredited this year.
Ricardo Carmona, Artistic Director of Tanz im August, sums up the festival at its conclusion:
"This year’s festival has shown us that dance, like the wind, can move across borders, unsettle what seems fixed and create new ways of being together. At a time marked by uncertainty, conflict and fear, the response of artists and audiences reminds us that dance and art can also be a form of resistance, connection and care. The conversations, encounters and shared experiences of these weeks are a powerful reminder that we do not have to agree to remain in dialogue. This is also a message to cultural policymakers and the new government of Berlin: that the freedom of art and the spaces where people can gather, question and imagine together are essential to a democratic society, and must be protected and sustainably supported.”
Annemie Vanackere, artistic and managing director of HAU Hebbel am Ufer, is delighted with how the festival went:
“We see how much joy the festival brings to Berliners and Berlin’s guests, and how strongly dance provokes thoughts and emotions in the best sense. A city like Berlin, which – to quote Ece Temelkuran – is a ‘nation of strangers’, and also a capital city, needs this kind of cultural crystallisation.”
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your many visits and for a fantastic festival!
