EXPLORE DANCE
explore dance enables children and young people to experience contemporary dance and participate in the artistic process, regardless of where they live or their social background. Through the production, communication and performance of dance pieces, the network aims to establish and expand the field for young audiences nationwide at a high artistic level.
During the rehearsal phases, the artists interact directly with children and young people and actively involve them in their creative work through various educational formats such as workshops, rehearsal visits and research sessions. In addition to stage productions, explore dance has a special focus on mobile productions in the so-called pop-up format, which enable access to the art form of dance away from theatre stages – for example, in school classrooms, museums, cultural centres or public spaces. Regular festivals present current productions and offer space for nationwide and international networking as well as for cultural and educational policy dialogue.
Experiencing theatre and dance performances is an essential artistic experience for children and young people – enabling them to have this experience is a fundamental cultural policy task. In addition, the network aims to raise the profile of this art form: contemporary dance should be permanently established as a natural part of the cultural offering for children and young people, on an equal footing with other art forms and disciplines.
Seven years of explore dance demonstrate the potential that dance offers young audiences: 34 dance productions with around 600 performances nationwide and internationally, rehearsal visits, workshops and discussion formats, as well as collaboration with over 400 schools and around 200 artists, testify to the network's success. In addition to the 2019 Perspective Award for forward-looking and cultural policy projects from the German Theatre Prize DER FAUST, the network received an award for outstanding development in dance as part of the 2024 German Dance Prize.
explore dance – Netzwerk Tanz für junges Publikum | Dokumentation from explore dance on Vimeo.
COOPERATION IN THE NETWORK
In 2018, the partners Fokus Tanz München, K3 – Zentrum für Choreographie | Tanzplan Hamburg at Kampnagel and fabrik Potsdam founded the network. With the start of the second funding phase of TANZPAKT Stadt-Land-Bund in 2022, the network will expand to include a fourth partner, HELLERAU – Europäisches Zentrum der Künste. In the summer of 2024, the partners founded the association explore dance e.V. Since July 2025, two further renowned partner institutions, Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm from Frankfurt/Main and Perform[d]ance from Stralsund, have been part of the nationwide network. With a total of six partner institutions from six different cities and federal states, the work of explore dance is thus placed on an even broader footing.
‘Networks are constellations without a centre. A network that wants to operate across federal states needs strong hubs – and the stamina to use and maintain them sustainably and permanently. This is exactly what explore dance has been doing – multidirectionally, for six seasons, at several venues, with many creative bodies and minds – for a large audience of children and young people.’ (Excerpt from the jury's statement, Dance Prize 2024)
explore dance – Netzwerk Tanz für junges Publikum is an association of:
explore dance is supported by:
The activities on site are co-financed by the participating municipalities, federal states and foundations:
With the support of:
