Sunday 27 September 2026 – Thursday 1 October 2026
The FORUM is the workshop and professional development programme of the Tanztreffen der Jugend – aimed at dance educators, teachers, choreographers, social workers, artists, students, university lecturers and the group leaders of the invited productions. It is officially recognised as an advanced training programme and sees itself as a space for peer-based learning: lecturers and participants come together as both learners and experts – with the aim of jointly developing, strengthening and networking artistic and educational practice in the field of young dance.
Advance ticket sales will start on 29 July at 14:00.
This year, the FORUM is exploring the political dimension of artistic and educational practice in contemporary dance.
How do we maintain a dialogue with young people – in the face of multiple crises, increasing polarisation and the digital exile of social processes? How do we open up and maintain spaces in the here and now where privileges and discrimination are named and different perspectives are accommodated – verbally and non-verbally, physically and collectively? How can dance, in its ephemeral nature, simultaneously be a safe space, a form of expression, activism and a means of social participation?
Practical workshops explore these questions by offering insights into various artistic and educational approaches: Be van Vark presents her working methods with the association Tänzer* ohne Grenzen, whilst Izabella Herzfeld provides insights into using dance as a medium of protest in public spaces through the global political initiative and dance demonstration One Billion Rising. Fanny Kulisch presents the dancing*politics toolbox, developed in 2022 by Chance Tanz as part of a pilot programme to strengthen democracy through dance education. A second workshop focuses on practising anti-discrimination action in our role as facilitators. With Modjgan Hashemian, we explore the body in search of a language beyond words, whilst Rike Flämig shares approaches for working with young people and contemporary witnesses in a historical and site-specific context. The invited tutors share their methods, experiences and perspectives, creating a framework in which collaborative learning is just as important as experimentation, reflection and productive failure within a collegial exchange.
Another key focus lies on physical activity and collaborative learning through FORUM and CAMPUS: across 30 classes on Monday and Tuesday during the festival, participants can try out and explore a variety of urban, contemporary and classical dance styles.
The Round Table: Dance in Schools is a five-part discussion series organised in collaboration with the Bundeswettbewerb Schultheater der Länder (SDL) of the Bundesverband Theater an Schulen (BVTS), Aktion Tanz – Bundesverband Tanz in Bildung und Gesellschaft e. V. and the Tanztreffen of the Treffen junge Szene at the Berliner Festspiele, which has been taking place since September 2025 as part of the partners’ specialist conferences and festivals and will now conclude at the Tanztreffen der Jugend 2026. The initiative is dedicated to promoting dance in schools and creates a space for productive discourse between teachers interested in dance and theatre, as well as other interested stakeholders, with the aim of knowledge transfer, quality enhancement, problem analysis and the development of recommended courses of action.
The daily post-performance discussions of the award-winning pieces combine reflections on the artistic works with the week’s learning programme.
The FORUM programme will be held in German.
Sunday, 27.9.2026, 10:30–12:30
FORUM Kick-Off
Warm up together for the festival week and the FORUM as a temporary peer-to-peer learning collective. Get to know one another, connect, and find yourselves. Find your own focus, and set out your hopes and goals for the week. The kick-off meeting for all FORUM participants.
Sunday, 27.9.2026, 14:00–16:30
MUTAUSBRUCH (A BURST OF COURAGE) – Dance as a political practice
Courage is the starting point for this practice-oriented workshop – exemplifying the working methods of Tänzer* ohne Grenzen. Courage links individual experience with collective action: It manifests itself in opening oneself up, in becoming visible, in enduring uncertainty and in co-creating. Particularly amid current social tensions, courage becomes a central resource – a prerequisite for encounter, for responsibility and for active participation.
In this compact format, courage is set in motion: through improvisation, biographical impulses and collaborative work in the space. Personal experiences become the starting point for an artistic process that leads directly to action. Dance is understood here as a space for social and political action – as a space of possibility for temporarily lived utopias.
Sunday, 27.9.2026, 14:00–16:30
Dancing Resistance – One Billion Rising
Dance in public spaces as a form of political resistance. Using the global OneBillion Rising campaign as an example, this workshop explores how dance and protest interact. Together, we will learn the dance to the protest song ‘Break the Chain’ and, using the Berlin Dance Demo as a case study, examine dance as a non-verbal medium of protest and a strategy for empowerment. How does one organise a dance demo? What potential does dance in public spaces offer? A practical insight into sustainable organisational work and networking.
Monday, 28.9.2026, 14:00–16:30
Mit dem Körper erinnern (Remembering through the body)
How is memory stored in the body? What do places tell us about historical injustices? Which movements evoke resistance? How do documents come to life? What role does dance play in political education? How can we use site-specific dance projects with young people and dance encounters with contemporary witnesses to explore key historical developments, uncover hidden stories and tell new narratives?
In the workshop, Rike Flämig will first present relevant project examples involving young dancers and contemporary witnesses. In a practical session, we will explore dance education approaches and site-specific strategies through short exercises. We will then reflect together on the potential of the body and the art form of dance.
Monday, 28.9.2026, 14:00–16:30
dancing*politics Toolbox
Anti-discriminatory approach and empowerment at the intersection of dance and political education
The workshop offers a practical introduction to the toolbox and questionnaire of dancing*politics. The focus lies on exploring anti-discrimination approaches and empowerment at the intersection of dance education and political education. Through practical exercises, we will try out methods and ask ourselves: Who is responsible for the well-being of the whole? How do we deal with boundary violations? And how can we recognise, name and change social inequalities in educational contexts through action? As we experiment, the focus will be on reflecting on our own positioning – with space for discussion, questions and movement.
Wednesday, 30.9.2026, 14:00–16:30
Zwischen Körper und Zeichen (Between Body and Sign)
How can we express ourselves when words are not enough?
When words are ignored, twisted or deliberately misunderstood?
This workshop explores movement and body language as forms of political articulation and societal expression. It offers insights into the artistic work of choreographer Modjgan Hashemian and practical suggestions for participants’ own artistic and dance education practice.
Through improvisational exercises, movement research and collective reflection, we will explore how the body conveys meaning, occupies space, expresses resistance and makes a sense of belonging tangible. In doing so, we will also examine societal attributions: What expectations, role models and interpretations are attributed to bodies – and how can we make these visible, question them or break them down through movement?
A particular focus is on the interplay between body, voice and language. Spoken words are given rhythm, fragmented or detached from their usual grammatical structures and translated into physical forms of expression.
Wednesday, 30.9.2026, 14:00–16:30
Diskriminierungskritische Handlungsfähigkeit (Critical action against discrimination)
This workshop is aimed at facilitators who wish to strengthen their ability to take action against discrimination. In workshops, there is often a strong desire for specific recommendations on how to act in situations of discrimination. The steps we frequently overlook are recognising and naming discrimination. Together, we will examine typical dynamics in facilitated spaces and ask: What do I perceive? How can I describe exactly what is happening? Which fears are holding me back? How can I remain capable of taking action? Using examples, exercises and discussion, we will develop strategies – clear, thoughtful and collaborative.
Thursday, 1.10.2026, 10:00–16:00
Runder Tisch Tanz an Schulen (Round Table Dance in Schools)
The Round Table on Dance in Schools initiative, launched by the Bundeswettbewerb Schultheater der Länder (SDL) of the Bundesverband Theater an Schulen (BVTS), Aktion Tanz - Bundesverband Tanz in Bildung und Gesellschaft e. V. and the Tanztreffen of the Treffen junge Szene at the Berliner Festspiele, has been meeting in five sessions since September 2025 at various locations across Germany, each focusing on different themes. This year’s FORUM will, for the first time, be a full-day event focusing on professional and political networking, exchange and analysis in the context of dance in schools. The aim is to develop strategies for the sustainable establishment of dance in schools and to draft a cross-state policy paper with recommended courses of action.
Further information on the Round Table on Dance in Schools initiative will follow in July 2026.
28.9. – 29.9.2026
On 28 and 29 September this year, we invite you to two special days of encounter between FORUM and CAMPUS – open, lively and full of movement. In a series of sessions, international tutors will offer dance-based inspiration and share their diverse styles and perspectives. A space for experimentation, exchange and growth.
Further information on the Classes programme will be available in July 2026.
27.9. – 1.10.2026, 17:30 Uhr / 2.10.2026, 10:00 Uhr
Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Probebühne
In the forum post-performance discussions, we will explore each individual piece through words and movement: can a theme, a motif or a mood be found in several productions? How was research conducted and work carried out with the young dancers? What criteria were used to make aesthetic decisions? Invited guests include choreographers, jury members and forum participants. We are looking for expertise, constructive criticism and an appetite for new perspectives.
The workshops are recognised as an advanced training programme, for which a certificate of attendance is issued.
Tickets for the workshops can be booked from 29 July 2026.
The cost of refreshments is included in the participation fee. Participation in the follow-up discussions is free of charge.