Application

Is dance your language?
Have you developed a dance piece?

Then apply by March 31, 2026!
The winners will travel to the festival in Berlin, present their work on one of Germany’s largest stages, and meet other young dance creators in workshops.

For all young dancers and choreographers aged 11 to 21 years.

We are looking for young dance enthusiasts who use dance to express what they have to say!

All contemporary and urban dance styles are welcome, whether you move on dance floors or asphalt. We welcome diversity: you can experiment with different forms of expression, combine styles, or cross boundaries into theatre, performance, art, and music.
You choose your own themes and content.
You can apply as an individual, a duo, a free group, or as an ensemble from a school or dance school.

Our independent jury of dancers, choreographers, and dance educators will select the winners of the Tanztreffen der Jugend from all submissions.
They will present their work publicly in front of an audience in Berlin and are invited to participate in an intensive workshop program to connect and experiment with other young dancers, dance professionals, and artists.

Call for applications October 2025
Application deadline March 31, 2026
Questions & Answers about the application with the team March 17, 2026, 5 PM
Registration via: treffenjungeszene@berlinerfestspiele.de
Viewing period April 26 to June 17, 2026
Announcement of winners June 23, 2026
Tanztreffen der Jugend September 26 to October 2, 2026

You can apply if you are between 11 and 21 years old.

As this is a national competition, unfortunately only applications from within the Federal Republic of Germany can be considered.

Repeated applications are possible.

The production must not be significantly changed from the time of application until the performance at Tanztreffen der Jugend. The version performed at the time of the jury’s viewing is binding.
In case of selection, all costs for travel, accommodation, and meals will be covered by Treffen junge Szene.
Performance or rehearsal fees cannot be financed.

If selected for Tanztreffen der Jugend, we agree to:

• the publication of excerpts of the piece on the websites of Berliner Festspiele and, if applicable, the publication of the recording made during the festival for documentation and archiving purposes.
• the use of photo and video material produced on our behalf during the festival for documentation purposes in publications and online.

Please submit your application via our applicationportal. After registering, you can enter all details related to your application there.
Please also upload the following application materials:

1. Video recording of the piece/performance:
   A rehearsal run is also welcome, ideally filmed with a single camera in a wide shot. The recording can be uploaded in multiple parts.
2. Explanations regarding the video recording (PDF):
   Information on whether it is, for example, the premiere or a rehearsal run, what is missing, what is different? Are costumes or stage elements missing?
3. Information about the group:
   How is the ensemble composed? What is your working method? Where do you train or rehearse? How did your work come about? What material did you use?
   You are welcome to submit additional supporting materials (project announcements, program booklets, flyers, press articles, posters, material about the group, etc.)
4. Implementation on site:
   What are your wishes or ideas for presenting your production in Berlin?
5. Dates for Live Viewings
   If your production is shortlisted, the jury will come to you to see the piece or performance live and talk with you about the work and rehearsal process.
   Please provide possible dates between April 28 and June 17, 2026, when the jury could visit you. If no performances are planned during this time, a rehearsal run is also acceptable.

If you have questions or problems using our application portal, please contact us by phone at +49 30 254 89 113 or by email at treffenjungeszene@berlinerfestspiele.de.

The award for the selected ensembles in the previous national competition is an invitation to the one-week Tanztreffen der Jugend in Berlin. All travel, accommodation, and meal costs will be covered.

The meeting consists of three main areas:

Stage
The selected ensembles present their dance pieces and performances.

Campus
The young dancers work in workshops with dance professionals and other artists on various topics related to contemporary and urban dance.

Forum
The focused training program with workshops and discussion formats is aimed at the leaders of the selected groups, dancers, choreographers, and students.

The award for the ensembles in the shortlist is an invitation for two delegates from the group plus one accompanying person to the one-week Tanztreffen der Jugend.

After the application deadline, the nine-member jury reviews the submissions.
In them first jury session (end of April 2026), the jury makes a shortlist.
Afterwards, the jurors go on viewing trips to experience the dance productions live in a performance or rehearsal run and to talk with the young dance creators about their piece and rehearsal process (approx. 1 hour).
After the viewing phase, the jury meets for a final session and makes the final selection for Tanztreffen der Jugend. Certain selection criteria are considered. The winners will be announced on the Treffen junge Szene website and on social media.
Additionally, winners will be informed via email, and all applicants will receive an email with the results of the selection process.
The jury’s decision is final – legal recourse is excluded.

Selection Criteria

The jury is looking for remarkable and exemplary dance works by the young generation.
To compare the submitted applications, the jury looks at certain features in the works.

The jury considers:

• Is there a convincing independent interest of the young ensemble in dance and in the submitted production?
• Is there independence and initiative from the young dance creators?
• Is it clear that the young dance creators are working on a topic or content from their own perspective?
• Is there a visible dialogue between choreographers/directing team and the dancers?
• Were the young dance creators able to contribute their skills to the production process, and were these skills fostered?
• Were the young dance creators involved in the creation process and did they shape it?
• Are the personalities of the young dancers visible?
• Do the young dance creators show artistic intent, expressiveness, and identity in the production?
• Is physical expression at the center of the piece, and is the medium of dance used to tell a story?
• Are contemporary and innovative movement languages used?
• Is the ensemble aware that it is dancing live for an audience, and does it engage with this encounter?
• Is there an awareness that the stage is a space to negotiate content, and does the ensemble take responsibility for this?
• Does the production leave room for the audience’s own thoughts?
• Are there impulses to take new and surprising formal and thematic paths?
• Is the ensemble curious and does it face challenges in terms of content and form?
• Does the ensemble master what it set out to do in terms of dance and performance?
• If media are used, is their use skillful?
• Does the dance piece have a purpose?
• Are personal stories negotiated in a way that is of broader societal interest?
• Does the dramaturgy (structure and progression of the piece) work?
• Is a clear theme or content addressed, and is a clear attitude or standpoint formulated?
• Are there creative approaches, is the artistic-choreographic design new and imaginative?
• Are there exemplary working methods, experiments, or forward-looking narrative forms?
• Is something daring attempted with the dance production?

All selected productions will be recorded during Tanztreffen der Jugend.
The recordings can be viewed in the Berliner Festspiele Mediathek for one year, as well as in the archive of the Deutschen Kinder- und Jugendtheaterzentrums der Bundesrepublik Deutschland in Frankfurt am Main.