Theme: Reflection and Feedback

2016 is announced as the year of dance in Germany – the year in which performers, instructors and enthusiasts can show the importance and potential of their art to a wider audience. This is why I am happy to welcome the 5^th Dance Education Biennale in Cologne.

Dance is a fascinating, diverse art form and part of our cultural heritage, besides. Being a dancer means finding a relation to past and present movement in an effort to communicate through the medium of the body. Like other artists, dancers search for new forms of expression as they explore and expand boundaries. Over the 20^th century, the question of what dance is brought about a rethinking of the discipline. Today dance comprises a kaleidoscopic landscape of approaches and styles. It requires everyone engaged in dance to face complex challenges as they develop within its plurality.
Continue reading 5th Dance Education Biennale 2016 Cologne →

Dance is a universal language that knows no boundaries. As a means for expressing feelings and telling stories, dance is a part of human and cultural history. In the belief that it is society’s duty to foster artistic talent, the German Ministry for Education and Research is a supporter of the Dance Education Biennale, whose 5^th iteration will take place from 15 to 22 February 2016 in Cologne.

Active engagement with culture offers an important contribution for personal development. It can foster many – disadvantaged children and youth in particular. This is the starting point for the Ministry’s Kultur macht stark (Culture makes you strong) programme. By studying a musical piece or learning a new choreography, the young learn to persist despite their mistakes; they learn that working together with others carries them further than working alone; they learn that concentration and effort pays off when working toward a goal. Continue reading Greetings from the Minister of Education and Research →

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.
Continue reading Greetings from the President of Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln →