As the president of one of the few internationally renowned educational institutions that bears the word dance in its name, I am delighted that the 5^th Dance Education Biennale is taking place in Cologne. This demanding and many-layered event is organized by our Centre for Contemporary Dance, with generous support from the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research, Schauspiel Köln, Oper Köln and the Deutschen Tanzarchiv Köln. I would like to extend a warm thanks to all our supporters and sponsors, in particular the staff at the Centre for Contemporary Dance, for making this Biennale possible.
The Biennale is an ideal combination of curricular and institutional dance education. The theme this time around is feedback and reflection. The choice reflects a deeper understanding of dance as a cultural medium. The aim is not to present but also to explore innovative formats in education.

For the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz, hosting the 5^th Biennale is part of its goal to establish a dance division at its new premises on the Dagobertstraße campus – a project that, if all goes well, will be completed soon. For Cologne, the Biennale highlights once again that this important German cultural metropolis is also a city for dance with a multi-faceted scene and an engaged public.

I want to wish everyone at the 5^th Biennale motivating and stimulating performances and hope that it brings many new impulses to dance and dance education.

Prof. Dr. Heinz Geuen

President of the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln