Tanztage Berlin Open Call 2027 for Emerging Dance Artists
Support for premieres and revivals by Berlin-connected choreographers and performance makers
Tanztage Berlin Open Call is now accepting applications for its 2027 edition at Sophiensæle. Since 1996, the festival has supported emerging choreographers and performance artists working across contemporary dance, choreography, installation, video, and expanded performance formats. The 2027 edition, scheduled for January 7–23, 2027, will be the final edition under the artistic direction of Mateusz Szymanówka. The festival is seeking artists connected to Berlin who are developing new productions or proposing revivals of completed works. Premiere projects can receive between €10,000 and €18,000 in production support, while revival projects receive a €5,000 flat fee. The deadline to apply is July 5, 2026.
Tanztage Berlin Snapshot
What: Open call for premieres and revivals in contemporary dance, choreography, and performance
Who: Emerging artists connected to Berlin, including artists early in their careers, artists newly living in Berlin, and artists without prior Berlin project funding
Where: Sophiensæle, Berlin, Germany
Award / Support:
Premieres
- €10,000–€18,000 production subsidy
- €410 evening fee per person per performance
- Approximately 2 weeks of rehearsal space
- Technical, curatorial, dramaturgical, PR, and organizational support
- Photo and video documentation
Revivals
- €5,000 flat fee
- €410 evening fee per person per performance
- Technical, curatorial, PR, and organizational support
- Photo and video documentation
Additional Support
- Workshops on accessibility, intimacy coordination, and mental health
- Administrative and budgeting support
- Potential rehearsal access at Sophiensæle
Residency Duration / Structure: Festival runs January 7–23, 2027. Rehearsal periods begin November 2026.
Deadline: July 5, 2026
Official Link: Tanztage Berlin Open Call 2027
Strategy Coach Note: https://www.patreon.com/posts/strategy-coach-158260508
Want the Strategy Behind This Application
Tanztage Berlin is structured around choreographic clarity, production feasibility, and technical realism. Most applications weaken when proposals describe themes and aesthetics without clearly explaining how the work functions in rehearsal, staging, audience encounter, and festival presentation. Strategy Coach Notes break down how reviewers evaluate premieres versus revivals, how work samples are assessed alongside budgets and technical materials, and how to build an application where choreography, production planning, accessibility, and collaborator structure operate as one coherent system.
About Tanztage Berlin Open Call
Tanztage Berlin has long functioned as a major entry point into Berlin’s independent dance and performance ecosystem. The festival consistently focuses on artists whose practices challenge conventional choreographic structures and whose work engages expanded understandings of embodiment, social structures, image production, and live performance. The open call explicitly welcomes projects working across stage performance, online formats, installation, long-duration structures, and video. This creates room for choreographic work that exceeds traditional theatre presentation models.
The 2027 edition places strong emphasis on artists connected to Berlin’s independent dance field. The eligibility language is intentionally broad. Applicants are not required to provide formal residency registration, though the application must demonstrate a meaningful professional relationship to the city. The festival also states its interest in projects involving marginalized perspectives, intergenerational casts, disabled artists, and diverse working structures. The call openly acknowledges the institution’s ongoing internal work around accessibility, anti-discrimination, and power structures, which gives important context to how applications may be evaluated.
Operationally, the festival divides applications into two tracks: premieres and revivals. Premiere projects require a budget and production structure. Revival projects focus more heavily on feasibility, touring readiness, and technical execution. In both modules, the application functions as an organizational document as much as an artistic proposal. Reviewers are evaluating whether the project can realistically move through rehearsal, technical setup, scheduling, and public presentation within the framework of the festival.
The application materials reinforce this operational focus. Applicants must articulate the project clearly within strict character limits while also providing rehearsal planning, technical requirements, participant information, accessibility considerations, and work samples. The strongest applications will demonstrate structural clarity across all sections instead of relying on abstract thematic framing.
What Is Offered
- €10,000–€18,000 production support for premieres
- €5,000 flat support for revivals
- €410 evening fee per person per performance
- Approximately 2 weeks of rehearsal space for premieres
- Technical rehearsals and stage setup support
- Curatorial support throughout development
- Junior dramaturg support for premieres
- PR and marketing support
- Photo and video documentation
- Administrative and billing support
- Accessibility workshop participation
- Intimacy coordination workshop participation
- Mental health workshop participation
- Opportunity to present work within a major Berlin festival platform
Who Should Apply to Tanztage Berlin
This opportunity is well suited for choreographers and performance makers developing work that already has a clear production structure. The festival supports experimentation, though the application still requires strong operational planning. Projects should demonstrate an understanding of rehearsal needs, technical setup, audience relationship, and team organization.
Artists proposing premieres should already have a concrete production direction and a realistic budget structure. Revival applicants should demonstrate why the project merits renewed presentation and how the work functions within the festival context. Since many performances are programmed as double bills, concise runtime planning and technical feasibility may influence selection decisions.
The call is especially relevant for artists building visibility within Berlin’s independent performance ecology.
Artists newly connected to the city are encouraged to apply.
Timeline for Tanztage Berlin
Applications are due July 5, 2026. Program decisions are expected by the end of September 2026, subject to funding confirmation. Selected artists will participate in workshops during October 2026. Rehearsal periods begin in November and December 2026, with additional technical rehearsals taking place between Christmas and New Year and during January 2027 leading into the festival presentation period.
Applicants may also participate in open Zoom office hours with curator Mateusz Szymanówka during May and June 2026, along with a public information session on June 29, 2026.
Why Tanztage Berlin Matters
Tanztage Berlin remains one of the most visible platforms for emerging choreography in Germany. The structure combines production support, institutional visibility, technical resources, and curatorial framing within a concentrated festival environment. The opportunity is particularly valuable for artists seeking stronger integration into Berlin’s independent dance ecosystem while developing ambitious new choreographic work.
The festival’s openness toward hybrid formats, installation, video, and expanded performance structures also makes this opportunity relevant for interdisciplinary artists working beyond traditional stage choreography. The inclusion of workshops focused on accessibility, intimacy, and mental health reflects a broader institutional shift toward sustainable artistic working conditions and contemporary production ethics.
Apply
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