Who we are - German Dance Association

15 years of experience - over 50 institutional members - long-term networking activities

The German Dance Association (in German Dachverband Tanz Deutschland, abbreviation DTD), founded in 2004 as Ständige Konferenz Tanz, has been working as a nationwide platform for artistic dance in Germany since 2006.

Founded out of the awareness of the active founding members that dance must speak with one voice in the political landscape of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Federal Association of Dance today acts as a federation of the outstanding associations and institutions for artistic dance in Germany - overarching aesthetic differences, different modes of production and specific professional fields in dance. 

The association develops position papers and concepts for the promotion of dance in Germany, it realizes campaigns and initiatives and implements them in its projects. Since 2016, it has been involved in the nationwide funding programs TANZPAKT Stadt-Land-Bund and Kreativ-Transfer. Since 2018, the Association has been the sponsor and organizer of the prestigious German Dance Award (Deutscher Tanzpreis). From 2020 to 2023, the Dachverband Tanz Deutschland implemented the funding programs DIS-TANZ IMPULS, DIS-TANZ SOLO, DIS-TANZ-START and tanz:digital within the framework of NEUSTART KULTUR part of the aid program for dance of the German government during the pandemic.

In recent years, the association Dachverband Tanz Deutschland has achieved a great deal to strengthen the perception of dance by cultural policy makers at the federal, state, and local levels. Federal funding programs have been strengthened, newly initiated and implemented by Dachverband Tanz Deutschland. The networking of the dance scene through various discussion formats and projects has become more intensive, formats and platforms for information and regular professional exchange have been developed. The German Dance Award enables the Dachverband Tanz Deuschland to communicate the diversity of dance and the qualities of this art form nationwide.

Besides Dachverband Tanz Deutschland has been most successful in promoting artistic dance, for freelance dancers and, with perspective for the future, for ensembles at municipal and state theaters. In other fields of work, the Dachverband Tanz Deutschland accompanies the dance scene: The association also supports the association of German dance archives in their continuous cooperation. Central questions of dance pedagogy are also intensively discussed with our members.

 


Structure, statutes and code of conduct of the German Dance Association

The office of the German Dance Association is located in the Kunstquartier Bethanien in Berlin. Michael Freundt has been the managing director and project manager of Dachverband Tanz Deutschland since its founding. Thirty employees (full-time/part-time) work at the office.

Further information and founding documents of the association (in German):

Struktur und Ziele des Dachverband Tanz Deutschland

Organization Chart Dachverband Tanz Deutschland (December 2021)

Statutes of the German Dance Association (in German only) / Satzung des Dachverband Tanz e. V. (Stand 09/2021)

 

Verhaltenskodex des Dachverband Tanz (Deutsche Fassung, März 2020)

Code of Conduct (English version, March 2020)

 

Initiative Tanzförderung Stadt / Land / Bund (Januar 2013)

Initiativen und Projekte (2004 bis 2012)

Bundesweite Initiative Tanz (August 2011)

10 Handlungsmaxime für den Tanz (2006)

 


Supporters, cooperations and memberships

Supporters: The Dachverband Tanz Deutschland is supported by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (Department of Music and the Performing Arts and the Department of Cultural and Creative Industries), by the Federal Cultural Foundation, the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the City of Essen.

 

Cooperations:

A close collaboration and cooperation connects Dachverband Tanz Deutschland with the German center of the International Theatre Institute. Together we advance the information websites for dance and are cooperation partners in the project touring artists.

The program TANZPAKT is realized in cooperation with Diehl+Ritter gUG. The German Dance Award is organized in cooperation with Theater- und Philharmonie Essen GmbH. In the Creative Transfer program, we cooperate with the Federal Association of Independent Performing Arts, the Federal Association of Contemporary Circus, the Federal Association of German Galleries and Art Dealers, the International Society of Fine Arts and Game - Association of the German Games Industry and transmissions GmbH. There is ongoing cooperation with the Gesellschaft für Tanzforschung e.V. (Society for Dance Research) to strengthen dance studies.

 

Dachverband Tanz Deutschland is currently a member of the following associations:

- Performing Arts and Dance Section, Deutscher Kulturrat (German Cultural Council)

- Performing Arts Fund

- Alliance of the Liberal Arts

- Alliance for the Performing Arts

- Initiative for the Archives of the Free Theater e.V.

 

European networks

- On-the-Move (OTM, Cultural mobility information network)

- European Network of Information Centres for the Performing Arts (ENICPA)

With our team, we support and initiate a regular exchange between dance professionals and cultural policy networks in order to develop structures according to the needs of the dance scene.

 

Sponsors:

We would also like to express our sincere thanks to our sponsors, who also support individual projects and events of Dachverband Tanz. You can find information about this on the respective project pages.