_ Preface



Many choreographers of Berlin's dance scene create works which can keep up with international standards and Berlin would have any reason to be proud of them. Even if contemporary dance has moved more into the centre of the public's and the media's attention due to the enormous success of Sasha Waltz at the Schaubühne Berlin, the quality and diversity of Berlin's dance artists is still little-known.

Nevertheless independent contemporary dance is one of Berlin's most important articles for export within the arts. There is hardly any international festival of relevance where dance made in Berlin is not represented. Berlin is the origin of important impulses for international developments in dance. Sasha Waltz and Anna Huber for instance are being celebrated by dance critics as crucial for the creation of influential choreographical languages of the late 90's. Xavier le Roy is perceived as one of the most unusual representatives of contemporary choreography. The Tanzcompagnie Rubato and Jo Fabian are worldwide highly successful with their productions, and also Thomas Lehmen and Felix Ruckert are in high demand on international dance events.

Despite all this, neither they nor all the other contemporary choreographers from Berlin are well known to Berlin's audience, nor are they appropriately supported by Berlin's politicians. This imbalance is one of the main reasons for us to present dance, made in Berlin, on a platform, the TANZNACHT BERLIN ‚ a long night of independent contemporary dance - for the first time. Under the patronage of the Akademie der Künste Berlin's choreographers will allow us an insight into their workshops. Apart from choreographies which were created especially for this night, we will see excerpts from current productions. This TANZNACHT BERLIN, which is focussed like a burning glass and at the same time highly diverse in the selection of works, shall call the richness of Berlin's dance scene to the attention of the residents of Berlin and international guests. It shall raise their curiosity for what possibly is unfamiliar and unusual. It shall call upon their desire for more and, of course, it shall be fun.

The Tanzfabrik Berlin and the Theater am Halleschen Ufer, two important and internationally renowned made for dance originating in Berlin, have taken the initiative to originate the TANZNACHT BERLIN in the hope that this event will be established as a Biennale in the future.

Since the work of only very few choreographers can be staged at the TANZNACHT BERLIN on the 9th of december 2000 in the Akademie der K¸nste, we have decided to present to you the diversity of Berlin's independent contemporary choreographers via image and text.

This website documents the work of some important choreographers who work in Berlin; its aim cannot be completeness, but an exemplary choice of interesting approaches to work. This reference book is intended for an audience with an interest in dance in order to enable them to widen their knowledge of this field of art and its protagonists, as well as for national and international dance promoters to further their interest in dance projects which were created in Berlin and to enable them access to important information by way of an overview.

We would like to thank all artists for their contributions and all participants for their commitment, the Akademie der Künste for its patronage and for its generous financial support of the production of this catalogue. We would especially like to thank the 'Hauptstadtkulturfonds' of the Government of Germany for guaranteeing the basic funding of the TANZNACHT BERLIN.

Tanzfabrik Berlin
Theater am Halleschen Ufer