Dance

After more than ten years of planning and preparation, the time has finally come: this summer, the Centre for Contemporary Dance (CCD) is leaving its studios, seminar rooms, and offices in Cologne-Nippes and moving into its new building, located just a short walk from the university's main campus. Designed by HPP Architects, the new facility will house dance studios, a new studio theatre, seminar rooms, practice studios, and a multifunctional performance space for interdisciplinary use - bringing dance even closer to music, artistic research, and digital innovation at the HfMT Cologne.

From October onwards, the CCD will be located at Dagobertstraße 39. The new building will welcome its first audiences on October 1, 2, and 9, with three performances of "unfolded no. 15".

The official opening, accompanied by an extensie artistic programme, will follow in December. We look forward to welcoming you to our new home!

On October 1st, 2nd and 9th, the new building of the Centre for Contemporary Dance /Cologne University of Music and Dance will become a performance space for the first time with the 15th edition of unfolded, featuring two contemporary dance works. "Circulating Resonances" (Choreography: Jan Burkhardt) explores sound, movement and architecture as a space of resonance, while "CURRENT" (Choreography: Wencke Kriemer de Matos) investigates the invisible forces that give direction to our path.

The unfolded series offers students the opportunity to explore the working methods of contemporary choreographers and artists through collaborative artistic practice. In this year's edition, they develop two choreographic works together with Jan Burkhardt  and Wencke Kriemer de Matos.

„Circulating Resonances“

What does a space sound like? How does time move? „Circulating Resonances“ (Choreography: Jan Burkhardt)  is a site-specific performance that transforms the new building of the Centre for Contemporary Dance at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln into a space of resonance. Musicians and dancers of HfMT explore together with Kompanie 1A how sound, movement, and architecture shape one another, overlap, and continuously respond to each other.

At the heart of the performance is the experience of time: When do we enter a shared flow? What happens when time stretches, condenses, or falls out of rhythm? Between proximity and distance, synchrony and friction, fleeting encounters emerge in which movement and music follow, challenge, and transform one another. „Circulating Resonances“ invites audiences to experience the new building as a living space of sound and movement.

"CURRENT"

We are constantly in motion. Currents carry us, guide us, sweep us along, or call for resistance. Paths intersect, fragile alliances emerge and dissolve again. What remains is the ongoing search for orientation – in relation to others and to ourselves.

In "CURRENT"  (Choreography: Wencke Kriemer de Matos), the dancers move between following and resisting, proximity and distance, individuality and collectivity. They respond to shared impulses, break away from them again, and find grounding in fleeting encounters, in their own bodies, or in being together. Every movement reshapes the constellation, every decision opens a new direction.

The body speaks of the desire to be seen, to belong, and at the same time to preserve one's own path. Orientation is constantly redefined – in the moment, in movement, and in encounter. Invisible forces give direction to our path: an idea, a promise, a memory, a ritual, or our connection to others. Not as certainties, but as points of orientation in a world in constant transformation. Current. Present.

With students from the Center for Contemporary Dance (CCD), Cologne University of Music and Dance (HfMT Köln)

Artistic Director: Vera Sander
Rehearsal Coordinator: Kojiro Imada
Technical Director: Marco Wehrspann

Performances: October 1, 2 & 9,  2026, 8:00 pm

CCD Studio Theatre, Dagobertstraße 39, Cologne

Admission free. Registration required.

Register here

We are delighted to announce that the Equal Opportunities Commission of the Cologne University of Music and Dance (HfMT Köln) and the Center for Contemporary Dance (CCD), in collaboration with the German Dance Archive Cologne, have awarded the 2026 Research Scholarship in the amount of €3,000 to Stella Moretti.

In her research project “The Margins of Dance: Bodies, Gender, and Circulations (1918–1935),” Stella Moretti examines choreographic and performative practices in the eastern border region of France between the two World Wars. The project focuses on the interactions between women artists and the cultural practices of the avant-garde movement, as well as on cross-border relationships and processes of exchange between the French art scene and Germany, Italy and Switzerland. By combining archival research with artistic practice, the project opens up new perspectives on the dance history of modernity.

The research will be shared and discussed within the framework of the Research Colloquium in Dance Studies at the Centre for Contemporary Dance (CCD), as well as in formats with students and the German Dance Archive Cologne, engaging with different audiences.

The scholarship promotes the exchange between theory and practice and supports interdisciplinary research approaches that connect historical sources with contemporary questions of diversity, gender, body politics and cultural memory.

We warmly congratulate Stella Moretti on this award and look forward to the perspectives and impulses that will emerge from the project!

The Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln is seeking to appoint a 50% Professorship in Contemporary Dance Artistic Practice (Pay Scale W2) at the Cologne University Campus, department 7/ CCD (Centre for Contemporary Dance) commencing in the summer semester 2027.

We are looking for a renowned dance-artistic personality who is able to impart contemporary dance-technical expertise in terms of diversity of methods in teaching.

Application Deadline: September 15

View the full job advertisement

We warmly congratulate Paula Castelli and Nadine Kribbe on receiving the 2026 Crossover Scholarship, which, once again this year, has been awarded to two graduates of the BA programme!

The selection committee included Andreas Schmitz, Chair of the Board of the KunstSalon Foundation; Silvia Ehnis Perez Duarte, Artistic Director and Curator of the TANZRESIDENZ at Quartier am Hafen and Vera Sander, Head of the BA Dance programme at the Cologne University of Music and Dance (HfMT Köln). The scholarship provides financial support of €1,500 as well as 12 months of mentoring, guidance and professional support, including advice on communication strategies, workflow development and building a professional network.

The KunstSalon Foundation team looks forward to working with Paula and Nadine and supporting them as they embark on their professional careers in the dance field.

Congratulations, Paula & Nadine!

As part of this year's call for the SOLID GROUND CHALLENGING SPACE – Dance Academy Camp and Tanzwerkstatt Europa, Yosep Jeon and María Arenas Romero, two students from the BA Dance programme, were selected to participate in the international programmes in Munich.

Yosep Jeon was awarded the Tanzwerkstatt Europa Workshop Scholarship and will participate in workshops and artistic formats with international artists from 4 to 14 August 2026.

María Arenas Romero was selected for the SOLID GROUND CHALLENGING SPACE – Dance Academy Camp scholarship. The programme is specifically designed for students transitioning from higher education into professional practice, offering insights into international fields of contemporary dance as well as opportunities to connect with artists and fellow students from across Europe.

Both programmes take place as part of Tanzwerkstatt Europa in Munich and provide valuable opportunities for artistic exchange, professional development, and international networking: https://www.jointadventures.net/tanzwerkstatt-europa. The open call is published annually.

We warmly congratulate Yosep and María and wish them inspiring experiences and meaningful encounters in Munich!

Scholarships for Graduation Projects with a Gender Focus

This year, the Equal Opportunities Commission was once again able to honor outstanding students and their artistic and scientific graduation projects with scholarships. Each year, the commission awards scholarships for graduation projects and theses that address gender-related questions.

The awarded projects address socially relevant issues and stand out through innovative artistic and scientific approaches. They provide important impulses for equal opportunity work as well as for research, teaching, and artistic practice at the university.

The CCD awardees this year are:

• Viola Cantú (Master Mediation in Dance) for the project My Body is the City: Mapping Biographical Memories in Urban Environments through Practices of Female Embodiment.
• Jona Bo Schlotbohm (BA in Dance) for the graduation project Brain Game.
• Nadine Kribbe (BA in Dance) for the project i.A. Kribbe – a piece in two construction stages.
• Clara Böhm (BA in Dance) for the graduation project with the working title „Saatfrüchte sollen nicht vermahlen werden“ (Seed corn must not be ground).

The Equal Opportunities Commission warmly congratulates all award winners and thanks them for their extraordinary commitment. With their projects, they provide important impulses for a diverse, discrimination-critical, and forward-looking discourse in art, science, and teaching. The university is delighted to support these outstanding projects with these scholarships.

From June 8-11, Prof. Wencke Kriemer de Matos, Prof. Vera Sander and Laura Lang-De Negri visited the Duncan Centre Conservatory in Prague and the SVSGUGL Arts Gymnasium in Ljubljana. Through two workshops and an information session at each institution, they introduced the BA Dance programme and CCD, engaging with pupils, students and faculty members in discussions on educational pathways, artistic practice and European perspectives in contemporary dance.

Following outreach visits to partner institutions in Italy and Portugal last year, this year's activities took the team to the Czech Republic and Slovenia. The visits provided an opportunity to learn more about the educational profiles of both institutions and to explore possibilities for future collaborations, exchange formats and stronger European networking.

Many thanks to our hosts for the inspiring encounters, valuable insights and warm hospitality!

BA Dance

Prospective student visits to the BA Dance programme will be offered during the following periods in the winter semester 2026/27:

• 16–20 November 2026

• 30 November–4 December 2026

These visits are intended for prospective students with prior dance training. Participants will spend a full week at the programme, taking part in the regular study activities of the second-year BA Dance cohort and gaining first-hand insight into the programme and the working methods at the Center for Contemporary Dance (CCD).

In addition, there will be opportunities to meet with the head of the study programme and current BA students, ask questions about the programme, and learn more about studying at CCD.

To apply, please submit a brief description of your training background and current level in contemporary dance and ballet. Four places are available for each visit period.

MA Mediation in Dance

Prospective student visits to the MA Mediation in Dance programme will be offered on the following dates:

• 13 November 2026

• 9 December 2026

• 6 January 2027

These visits offer a full day of participation in and observation of selected seminars within the programme. Participants will also have the opportunity to meet with the head of the study programme and current MA students, ask questions, and learn more about the programme.

If you are interested in attending a prospective student visit, please contact the CCD Coordination Office.

Clara Böhm Selected for the Billinger & Schulz SUMMER ACADEMY 2026

We are delighted that BA Dance student Clara Böhm has been selected to participate in the Billinger & Schulz SUMMER ACADEMY 2026. The one-week mentoring programme will take place from 20–26 July 2026 at Produktionshaus NAXOS in Frankfurt am Main and is aimed at emerging dance artists transitioning from higher education into the independent dance scene.

Through an intensive exchange format, participants receive artistic mentoring, insights into project development and funding structures, and opportunities for shared aesthetic experimentation and networking.

Hannah Emami, Maren Nöding and Carlotta Ortinger Participate in Dance Journalism Training Platform in Munich

From 8–13 July, Hannah Emami, Maren Nöding and Carlotta Ortinger – two current students and one alumna of the MA Dance Studies programme – will take part in a professional training platform for dance journalism in Munich.

The project is hosted by tanznetz and Access to Dance in cooperation with Think Big!, the International Festival for Dance, Music Theatre and Performance for Young Audiences. Hannah, Maren and Carlotta will report on the festival across a range of formats and media, supported by experts in fields including film and social media.

The programme is part of the larger initiative Strengthening the Contemporary Dance Scene through Emerging Dance Journalism, funded by TANZPAKT Stadt-Land-Bund, in which Bewegungsmelder participates as a partner initiative from North Rhine-Westphalia. Over a period of three years, TANZPAKT funding enables students to develop and test journalistic formats at a total of nine festivals, supported by experienced journalists, editors and digital media experts. The resulting contributions are published on both tanznetz and the Bavarian dance platform Access to Dance.

Benze C. Werner’s LP Invited to Tanzquartier Wien

We are delighted that Benze C. Werner’s performance LP (Long Play) has been invited to the 2026 edition of S_P_I_T_ – Queer Performance Festival Vienna at Tanzquartier Wien. Presented as part of the festival programme, LP is a polyphonic collage of lesbian history, personal longing and original songs, bringing together archival materials, live performance and music. Through an exploration of voice, intimacy and embodied memory, the work opens up multiple emotional and sensory points of access for audiences. The performance will be shown at Tanzquartier Wien from 25–27 June 2026 as part of a festival dedicated to the theme of “Queer Time.”

Our cooperation project with the online magazine tanznetz and nrw landesbuero tanz is entering the next round: from April, a new generation of MA Dance Studies students will be reporting regularly on dance premieres in and from NRW. Just before the summer break, tanznetz published new reviews by Hannah Emami and Maren Nöding, covering recent premieres including works by Daniel Ernesto Müller at FFT Düsseldorf and the tanzhaus nrw Youth Company in Düsseldorf:

Ahnungsloser Tod „Alles anders“ von Daniel Ernesto Müller am FFT Düsseldorf by Maren Nöding

Die Crux mit den Übergängen „Der Sandmann“ und „Shift.er.s“ im Theater Krefeld und Mönchengladbach by Hannah Emami

Der Wunsch nach Sichtbarkeit „Tracks“ der Jugendkompanie tanzhaus nrw in Düsseldorf by Maren Nöding

You can find all Bewegungsmelder articles here. 

We are delighted to now offer an overview of all events at the Centre for Contemporary Dance, available both as a PDF and as a printed fold-out brochure!

Here you can access the overview for the summer semester 2026: PDF

We are happy to share one of the key outcomes of the artistic research project "RELAY - Thinking Artistic Material in Music and Dance" with you: the RELAY ARTicle on Research Catalogue!

RELAY is a three year is a three-year artistic research project made possible by the ERASMUS+ program "Cooperation Partnerships". It focuses on artistic-pedagogical developments in the fields of choreography, dance, music and composition. You'll find more information about the project here.

The RELAY ARTicle shares artistic practices, pedagogical activities, documents and documentations of the process, writings, scores, methods, practical tools as well as  recollections by and about the practitioners involved in the project.

Throughout the project, we developed insights, practices, and tools around five key topics: relaying, multitude of perspectives, transformational practices, sustainability and  learning. Our findings and reflections on the principles and methods of RELAY can be explored on the page. The non-linear structure invites you to explore the material in various ways and discover multi-dimensional connections.

The ToolCloud provides access to tools, scores, and practices and invites you to use and adapt them in your own work.

Dive right in and explore!