Dear friends of the Tanzfestival Bielefeld!

Has attending the Tanzfestival Bielefeld become a fixed date in your yearly calendar? Are you eagerly awaiting and looking forward to the announcement of this year’s workshops and instructors in order to make your registration? During the first two weeks of the summer NRW school break you can experience stimulating workshops throughout the day and enthralling performances in the evenings at an inspiring location. Workshops and performances – together they build an ideal combination, turning Bielefeld into a dance metropolis for 14 days. Emotions and inspiration fuse together with dance expressivity allowing a look inside the multi-faceted world of dance.

30 world-renowned instructors with high standards share their moves with joy and dedication in the diverse workshops. Our program offers Classical Ballet, Modern Dance, Modern Jazz, Jazz Dance, Contemporary, African Dance, Salsa, Samba Brazil as well as Flamenco, Bollywood, Musical Dance, and Hip Hop, Body Mind Centering, Pilates and African Drumming. Due to the great response, two of last year’s new courses: Afro Cuban, and Dance 50+, are back. A new workshop: Dance Theatre, will enhance our programme and introduce a new nuance of dance style. The children’s workshops: Hip Hop and Jazz Dance, round off this year’s line-up.

Some favourite instructors from our past, like Geraldine Armstrong and Bruce Taylor, will be joining some new faces: Shang-Chi Sun, Rymon “Rayboom” Zacharei, Gilda Rebello, and Christian “Robozee” Zacharas.

The workshops are not only directed at very advanced and professional dancers but also offer participants with little previous background the chance to check out and experience different styles of dance. All workshop participants enjoy reduced rates for tickets to the evening performances.

If you have questions regarding workshops or instructors, our festival office staff and the artistic directors Ulla and Tchekpo Dan Agbetou are happy to help with advice.

I would like to give our special thanks to the sponsors of »kulturextra« - Carolinen, BGW, Sparkasse Bielefeld, Stadtwerke Bielefeld, Alcina, Böllhoff, and Radeberger - without whom a festival of this scope and quality could not be realized in Bielefeld.

Our sincere thanks as well goes to our partners Neue Westfälische, Radio Bielefeld, and the Arcadia Hotel Bielefeld.

The regional arts aid package "Tanz OWL 2013" of the state of NRW contributes to a great degree in expanding the quality of our festival.

Let the 23rd festival program in Bielefeld surprise and inspire you. Have a great time at the workshops!

Brigitte Brand
Kulturamt (arts office)