End of an era
The international TANZ Bremen festival is being terminated
After more than three decades of successful cultural work, it’s now over: the renowned international TANZ Bremen festival will no longer be funded by the Senator for Culture in Bremen. The festival, which has been a major highlight of the contemporary dance scene in Germany since its inception in 1988 as TANZHERBST and since 2000 under the name TANZ Bremen, must cease its activities.
Over the years, TANZ Bremen has presented a high-caliber, diverse program with international guests and regional dance professionals. The festival regularly attracted thousands of visitors who came to Bremen to experience the diversity and innovation of contemporary dance from Germany and around the world. The list of performing artists reads like a who’s who of the international dance scene, and the festival played a key role in positioning Bremen as a cosmopolitan and culturally vibrant city.
TANZ Bremen was an important platform for innovative world premieres, German and European premieres, and for collaboration between international dance professionals and the regional dance scene. The festival promoted exchange, networking, and the development of new artistic impulses. Diverse supporting programs with workshops, discussions, participatory projects, and networking meetings provided deeper insights into the world of dance and fostered a lively dialogue between artists, institutions, and audiences.
However, despite its great success with around 40 high-caliber events per festival year and strong appreciation from artists and audiences, public funding has been increasingly restricted in recent years. Since 2023, the budget for TANZ Bremen has been set to zero. The festival generates around half of its budget through third-party funding, sponsorship, and ticket sales. However, in order to attract third-party and sponsorship funds, it needs a base level of public funding on which to build. Since this has been discontinued, the TANZ Bremen association feels compelled to end the festival after 37 years.
This decision is a significant loss – not only for the festival organizers, but for the entire cultural scene in Bremen. Over the past decades, TANZ Bremen has made a valuable contribution to the cultural diversity of the city and raised its international profile – an achievement of which we are proud.
Our sincere thanks go to Inge Deppert from Impuls, the initiator of the festival, all previous festival directors, companions, and our partners. A heartfelt thank you also goes to the artists for their inspiring contributions and to our valued audience for their long-standing interest and support.
Sabine Gehm Sabine Beyer
Artistic Director Organizational Director