Tanz im August ([tant͡sɪmaʊ̯ˈɡʊst]; "Dance in August") is an annual festival for contemporary dance in Berlin. It was founded by Nele Hertling in West Berlin in 1988, and is now presented by the Hebbel am Ufer (HAU) theatre company on various stages in Berlin. It presents companies from all over the world with their new choreography, aesthetics and formats, new projects by Berlin artists, collaboration with international guests, and co-production for world premieres and German premieres. Virve Sutinen has been artistic director from 2014.
History
Tanz im August was founded as an international festival for contemporary dance by Nele Hertling in 1988, then in West Berlin.[1][2] The festival developed to an annual festival of several weeks around August. It brings notable companies from all over the world together in Berlin, with new choreography, aesthetics and formats. The festival also presents new projects by Berlin artists, collaboration with international guests and the co-production of world premieres and German premieres.[3]
Tanz im August is funded by the Capital Cultural Fund. Since 2014, Virve Sutinen from Sweden has been the artistic director.[3][5][6]
Productions
Numerous formats are fixed components of the festival program. Since 2016, the Bibliothek im August (Library in August) project at the Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz [de] (HAU2) has made books available that festival artists recommended as having influenced their work and thought. The 31st edition in 2019[7] featured 70 performances of 31 productions at eleven different venues with 160 artists from 15 countries.[8] The 2020 edition took place in a modified form due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] Instead of a stage program, an extended online program was offered.[9]
Tanz im August has been publishing a Magazin im August since 2014.[10]
Since 2015, Tanz im August has shown a retrospective of an important living artist every other year, resulting in a publication on their life and work.[25]
In 2018, Tanz im August celebrated its 30th anniversary.[26] In addition to the festival events, journalist Claudia Henne compiled the festival's production history in an archive,[26] which is available in the Tanz im August Online Magazin.[10]
^ ab"Tanz im August: RE–Perspective Deborah Hay". Portal Kunstgeschichte – Das Informationsportal für Kunsthistoriker im deutschsprachigen Raum (in German). 19 June 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2021.