The Dance Education Biennale is a week-long forum for the dance community, providing a platform for encounters and exchange. The 2016 Biennale in Cologne marks its 5^th installation.

During preparations, the Biennale organizers thought intensively about which conditions were best suited for bringing together students, teachers, guests, and the public in a variety of formats. They also took into account the perspectives of the instructors and young performers they invited and how to foster growth and new ideas. As a result of these considerations, they decided to make feedback and reflection the theme of this year’s Biennale.
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As with the 4^th Biennale, five educational institutions from abroad and ten educational institutions in Germany will take part, enabling exchange between national borders. Reflection about conventions, paradigms and common perceptions offers enormous potential for participants, while international dialogue promotes a more nuanced understanding of technique, approach and performance. Discussions will focus on teacher-student expectations of international projects and the challenges they face when taking part in them. These and other questions shed light on new possibilities for careers in dance.

Two evening performances at the Cologne Opera will feature 110 dancers and 14 choreographers who convey the impressive range and talent of recent graduates. The performances are meant to put dance front and centre in society and foster general discussions about dance education.

For young dancers, public performances are important opportunities: they help them develop as professionals and put them in contact with people who can be important for their careers. The Biennale provides these artists an excellent public venue to present their work. What is more, it gives them the chance to broaden their networks and meet people and institutions from the dance world – dance companies, theatres, event organizers, AK|T speakers, other performers, and art historians.

AK|T is a conference that presents important new ideas about dance and education as part of the 5^th Dance Education Biennale, a highly visible international festival for discussion, encounter, performance and public debate. The Biennale is a platform for students, artists and teachers, and fosters discussion about the internationalization of dance curricula.

Information on events such as roundtables and workshops can be found at the calendar menu under Program.

A think tank at Cologne’s Centre for Contemporary Dance from 28 to 30 March 2014 served as preparation for the 5^th Dance Education Biennale. There participants – students most of all – expressed the desire to see the next Biennale as a social framework for art and creativity. During a second think tank, at the Centre for Contemporary Dance from 28 to 29 May 2015, students and instructors took part in several workshops to develop their ideas.

https://thinktanktanzbiennale.wordpress.com