Keep moving!

There are two things for sure: There won’t be no internationale tanzmesse in düsseldorf in 2026. And, with all awareness to not beat a dead horse, organisers refuse to throw in the towel. No, tanzmesse is not dead. Or at least so they say.

To make sure they keep the ball rolling „in the meantime“, internationales tanzmeeting had its kick off. As both Kerstin Rosemann and Heike Lehmke of nrw landesbuero tanz point out, they are working on international projects for 2028, providing there’s money, of course.

To interconnect stakeholders, artists, producers, agents and the like, internationales tanzmeeting will provide two digital formats upcoming year. With „nrw meets“ they are planning to invite delegates from all over the world, sharing thoughts, ideas and knowledge. Building bridges by exchanginge perspectives, if you will.

Almost 100 people where curious enough to join the kick off meeting, proving widespread interest, longing to know how to move on in times with fundamental cuts all over the place. And they are sure to be even more interested in the second format: „talk & connect“ may be considered some sort of advancement of what had successfully been started at tanzmesse back in 2022. Here discourse is at the heart of concept, different sessions that will cover different topics, suggested by all those who are trying to find their way through uncertain times. 

No short term funding!

Based on the network that has started to grow three decades ago, the website of tanzmesse will work as a hub, a platform, database and archive with sections open to exchange for everyone. 

Exemplary was the input by Andrea Redmer of Ice Hot Nordic Dance Platform. Their next year’s edition has been postponed, as she pointed, due to it being „significantly underfunded“. But instead of surrendering to the perspective of being defeated, organisers hold their heads up high and try and turn this into an opportunity to step back and reflect. What is actually needed to keep up sustainable structures? Short term funding doesn’t do the trick, obviously. Reconsidering, analysing, and talking about it. That’s a start for sure.

The overall situation of cuts seems bleak, as one of the guests of the meeting pointed out, but, in the same time, there’s always someone turning into a phoenix some time somewhere.  

So it was the necessity to keep up networking, to keep talking to each other and even to invest even more time and effort into it, what kept shining through all the statements. And this investment, above all, doesn’t neccessarily need money. The shapeshifters, as the players were called during the meeting, need alliances. How this is going to turn out, it's up to all of us now. It's rolling up sleeves time now.