(c) Seda Demiriz, Future Lab - Visions and directions for the regional independent dance and performance scene
Zukunftlabor on the topic of programming and curation
Friday, 14 March 2025, 2 pm - 6 pm
online
spoken German and English
Register here
In March 2025, ID_Tanzhaus is organizing a Zukunftslabor (future lab) on the topic of programming and curation. How should the program of an independent dance house be designed? What criteria should guide the selection of programs and artists? And what strategies can help to recognize and counteract personal bias? Together with participants from the independent dance scene, ID_Tanzhaus will delve into these questions, fostering critical reflection on curatorial practices. In the past, ID_Tanzhaus developed an anonymized application and selection process for its residency program. However, for festivals such as Frankfurt tanzt, Frankfurter Tanzsommer, Night of Dance at Sommerwerft, and the Studio Round, artistic programming decisions were made directly. TanzNetzDresden has also engaged with different approaches to curation and programming. At the beginning of the event, a colleague from Dresden will provide a short input based on their experiences.
Limited to 30 participants.
What are the visions and concrete needs of dance? And how can we work together to shape them in the future? These are the questions that drive ID_Tanzhaus. The Zukunftslabor is its dedicated think tank, providing a space for the independent dance scene in Frankfurt and the region to actively contribute to the development of the ID_Tanzhaus and engage in discussions on urgent topics. Held regularly, the Zukunftslabor is professionally moderated, ensuring a structured and focused exchange. All participants receive an expense allowance (€25 per hour, totaling €100 for the full session). The outcomes are documented and made available to interested parties.
The Zukunftslabor is primarily aimed at independent dance professionals from Frankfurt and the region, as well as members of ID_Frankfurt. For this edition, there will also be spots available for independent dance professionals from other regions across Germany to encourage an exchange of experiences and perspectives on a national level.
This event is part of the Tanzallianzen, a nationwide initiative and a collaborationbetween ten Tanzbüros/Tanznetzwerke from ten federal states: Fachstelle Tanz Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, ID_Tanzhaus Frankfurt Rhein-Main, K3 – Zentrum für Choreographie | Tanzplan Hamburg, nrw landesbüro tanz, Tanzbüro Berlin, Tanzbüro München, Tanzinitiative Brandenburg, TANZKOOP Niedersachsen with LAFT Niedersachsen, Tanznetz Dresden, and Tanzszene Baden-Württemberg.
Following the kick-off event Tanz Macht Berlin at the Akademie der Künste on February 1, 2025, the ten partners will host local satellite formats between March and September 2025 to develop structures and strategies tailored to their respective dance communities. Insights from these regional exchanges will be brought together through cross-network discussions and a final digital event in late September, with a focus on future-oriented outcomes.
Tanzallianzen is funded by the Fonds Darstellende Künste with support from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. The project partners receive co-financing from their respective municipalities and states.
The next Zukunftslabor about performance venues takes place on Friday, 20 September 2024, 2 - 6 pm, at Z – Zentrum für Proben und Forschung, Schmidtstr. 12, 60326 Frankfurt. Register now!
Since the first Zukunftslabor in June 2021 questions around performance venues have come up time and time again in discussions. In the survey after the first Zukunftslabor many colleagues expressed their desire for a multifunctional space suited for presentations, exchanges, workshops, rehearsals and research. We would now like to examine this question further. What should such a place look like? What should it offer? Is this even a realistic idea? What would be the ideal way to communicate with artists and groups? Building upon your manifold experiences, we would like to get into conversation with you.
Registration deadline: Thursday, September 5, 2024.
Stay in conversation with us on our Social Media <3
On 31.03.23, 31 participants talked about the topic of money.
The fourth Future Lab was a collaboration with Produktionsbande - the starting point for the discussion was the minimum wage and the matrix proposed by the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs. The four-hour meeting took place online to enable more people to participate. We worked mainly in small groups and asked ourselves (among others) the following questions:
- How do I calculate a production with fair payment for all project participants? What do I have to specifically pay attention to?
- How do I negotiate my fee? How do I negotiate the fee for others?
- What can a collective calculation look like?
The thoughts of the participants were collected in each of the small groups on a metroretro board and then discussed in the large group (see photos). Finally, we compiled concrete demands on the production level and on the cultural policy level.
These were, for example, on the production level: renegotiation of changes, planning of a buffer budget, transparency, more exchange with the artists.
On the cultural policy level, the demands included: To finally consider art as a proper profession, to revise the KSK and make it more accessible, to improve the infrastructure for artistic work.
We would like to thank all the people who took part and we are already looking forward to the next Zukunftlabor!
At the third Future Lab on 21 May 2022, we talked about dance-specific requests for the list of demands of the Coalition of the Free Scene.
The event was attended by 22 people, including spokespersons for the Coalition of the Free Scene Frankfurt, namely Gal Fefferman (dance/choreography) and Jan Deck (performing arts).
We started the discussion with an assessment of the current situation and based on that we collected needs of the local independent scene. We talked about funding/financing and the spatial infrastructure - in this context, the lack of offers in the following areas was highlighted in particular:
- residency programmes, including those that involve a final showing
- more space to present independently developed projects, uncurated performance spaces
- more space for dancers (and others that work in the field) to exchange and connect with each other.
The screenshots below offer further insight into the notes collected. It was a very productive Future Lab and we would like to thank all participants once again for their time, energy and all the wise thoughts they shared with us.
During our two-day online Future Lab in June 2021, the question of the project's name was raised: What could be an appropriate title be for a project as diverse as ours, designed to engage both dance creators and interested audiences? Fifteen freelance, local dance and performance professionals came together in December to discuss this issue.
We broke down the parts of the title: FRM, Haus, Tanz, and ID. We considered how the title is working and where it is failing or generating more questions. We finished by suggesting new titles which led us to brainstorm phrases that could become a tagline, subtitle, or mission statement for the project. These were compiled into a survey and passed around again for further feedback.
