Festival 2026
20 years of Junger Tanz Düsseldorf
13. – 23. November 2026
This year’s edition of the festival is a special one: we are celebrating 20 years of take-off: Junger Tanz Düsseldorf.
take-off is like a woodpecker that has been knocking on the doors of schools and theatres for 20 years, bringing more and more dance into the city. This woodpecker creates openings, sometimes only small ones, through which dance slowly seeps like drops of water, inspiring audiences. It’s an enormous undertaking! In this festival edition, we’re looking back while also inviting new artistic voices. We’re celebrating what has emerged through all these openings and cracks: new places for dance, encounters, experiences and very different ways of engaging with dance.
We believe that dance is a form of expression that can reach everyone. In a world full of explanations, we celebrate an art form that doesn’t always need to be explained. An art form that thinks through the body and asks questions without putting them into words, and that brings people together without everyone having to understand the same thing. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why we love dance for young audiences: it takes children and young people seriously. It does so by trusting them to look, feel and decide for themselves, rather than trying to explain everything to them.
With this year’s edition, we want to welcome you to ten days full of surprises. On the second weekend in particular, we invite you to spend a whole afternoon at tanzhaus nrw, moving between performances, installations, cake and interactive pieces. We look forward to seeing you there!
Micaela Kühn Jara & Alfredo Zinola
Together with tanzhaus nrw, FFT Düsseldorf, Junges Schauspielhaus and Tonhalle Düsseldorf
Programme overview
Festival opening
Fr 13.11. from 18:00
for everyone
TANZHAUS NRW, FOYER
from 18:00
Opening of the take-off Festival 2026 with welcome speeches and the woodwind ensemble of the Tonhalle Youth Symphony Orchestra.
19:00
vielleicht_regen_ – in_der_schwebe
Afterwards, join us for the premiere and opening celebration.
Performances
in_der_schwebe (World premiere)
vielleicht_regen_
Fri 13.11. 10:00 + 19:00
Ages 11+ // Duration approx. 60 minutes // Watch & take part
TANZHAUS NRW, GROßER SAAL
Together with young people, the collective vielleicht_regen_ opens take-off Festival 2026! Through dance, music and video, they take over the stage and transform it into a pulsing space with a club atmosphere, between falling and flying, control and letting go, I and we. When do we feel supported, and when do we feel alone?
CAST
By & with: Amalia Bückins, Mara Darlath, Eliza Drach, Atlas Horn, Sophia Kuperneli, Emil Ochs, Lilia-Fatim Sadio, Jakob Szpurka, Veronika Tarasenko, Artistic Direction vielleicht_regen_ Josep Caballero Garcia (Choreographie), Kamila Kurczewski (Video), Fabian Schulz (Sound), Set Design Ria Papadopoulou Production & Dramaturgy Lisa Zehetner
CREDITS
in_der_schwebe is supported as part of take-off: Junger Tanz Düsseldorf, funded by the City of Düsseldorf, the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the RWE Foundation and the PwC Foundation.
Tracks
Jugendkompanie tanzhaus nrw
Sat 14.11. 17:30, Mon 16.11. 11:00
Ages 10+ // Duration 60 minutes // Watch
TANZHAUS NRW, GROßER SAAL
The tanzhaus nrw youth company brings its latest piece back to the main stage, with 16 dancers aged between 12 and 18. How do we deal with anxiety about the future, FOMO and the rapid pace of social media?
CAST
Artistic direction Takao Baba, Nora Pfahl, Musical direction Mischa Tangian, Costumes Maxie Rosenkranz in Zusammenarbeit mit den Tänzer*innen Created and performed by Anna Ekwueme, Ben Stüttgen, Chris Wu, Clara Schneider, Elija Hoffmann, Emma Fischer-Fels, Florinda van Dijk, Greta Zapp, Karla Wichmann, Lara Cifci, Linda Zoey Golenia, Malu Thiersch, Max Illner, Maya Alhammoud, Mei Hanajima, Renata Fores Davila, Sae Hanajima
CREDITS
Tracks is supported as part of take-off: Junger Tanz Düsseldorf, funded by the City of Düsseldorf, the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the RWE Foundation and the PwC Foundation.
We need you
Elbers/Zhukov
Sat 14.11. 19:30, Mon 16.11. 10:00
Ages 14+ // Duration 60 minutes // Watch
FFT DÜSSELDORF
What do duty and responsibility mean to young people in an increasingly threatening global situation? Together with the artist duo Elbers/Zhukov, the FFT Düsseldorf youth group explores how images and narratives about the military shape our everyday lives.
CAST
Concept, choreography and direction Stefanie Elbers, Oleg Zhukov, Set and costumes Dilara Göksügür, Music Kornelius Heidebrecht, Production assistant Paula Hees, Performers Ava Respondek, Carlotta Kramer, Daniel Mertens, Eva Dallmann, Frieda Küppers, Fynn Gregorius, Helene van Gemmeren, Ilma Walter, Jennifer Rommel, Julia Heidenreich, Leonie Engels, Nicole Kamenezkaja, Band Kolja Heidebrecht, Maksim Kaliuzhnyi, David Aguirre Martinez, Hugo von Chamier
CREDITS
Supported as part of take-off: Junger Tanz by the Cultural Office of the City of Düsseldorf and the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. take-off: Junger Tanz is a collaboration between Düsseldorf’s cultural, educational and social institutions, led by tanzhaus nrw.
Senza Padrone Baby – Record Release (Concert)
MAIKA
Sat 14.11. 21:00
for everyone
FFT DÜSSELDORF, FOYER
MAIKA, aka Maika Küster, has worked with international artists including Mocky, Feist, Jamie Lidell and Chilly Gonzales, and has composed music for theatre, including productions at Schauspielhaus Bochum and Volksbühne Berlin. At FFT, she presents her second album, Senza Padrone Baby. Experimental composition meets catchy melodies, coming together in an artistic approach that embraces complexity without dismissing pop as naïve. Disciplined and unleashed. Urgent and unapologetic.
Support comes from KOSCHIM, a band project led by German-Russian singer Natalie Mischok, combining influences from pop culture, jazz, soul and funk with psychedelic sound design.
Samurai X
Takao Baba & Ensemble
Sun 15.11. 18:00
Ages 12+ // Duration 90 minutes // Watch
JUNGES SCHAUSPIEL, CENTRAL
Free adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s film Seven Samurai.
The virtues of the samurai describe a flower as native to Japan as the cherry blossom. It is still alive, full of strength and beauty.
Inazō Nitobe, in Bushido –Die Seele Japans, 1899
In a fusion of urban dance, opera singing, martial arts and acting, Takao Baba, composer Mischa Tangian, and the ensemble explore the virtues of the samurai – honour, courage, respect and loyalty – and ask what they can mean to us today.
CAST
Direction Takao Baba, Co-direction and mask performance Matteo Spiazzi, Music Mischa Tangian, Musical direction Richard Eisenach Set Aliki Anagnostakis, Costumes Loek de Jongh, Mask making Alessandra Faienza, Dramaturgy Helena Jackson, Kirstin Hess, Theatre pedagogy Patricia Pfisterer, With Luc Arnoldussen, Cem Bingöl, Celine Hambach, Minh Cao Huy, Alexander Kalina, Anastasia Kolabanova, Luca Mbiene, Paul Davis Newgate, Rowdy, Eva Maria Schindele, Reve van Wersch, Timbe Karlize van Wersch, Annalisa Weyel
CREDITS
Part of the cross-border programme RESONANZ. Supported by the Interreg VI-A Germany–Netherlands programme.
HOT (German premiere)
Julie Botet & Max Gomard
Wed 18.11. 10:00, Thu 19.11 11:30, Fri 20.11. 10:40
Ages 11+ // Duration 30 minutes // Watch & take part
SCHOOL PLAYGROUNDS (POP-UP PERFORMANCE)
An invitation to dance in the school playground – to join in or watch. With the aesthetic of a post-apocalyptic world, pulsing hip-hop, ragga, techno beats, and elements of young people’s everyday culture, Botet and Gomard get the playground moving.
CAST
Concept & Performance Max Gomard & Julie Botet, Sound Creation Max Gomard Sound Arrangements Nicolas Tarridec, Outside Eye Elise Daubié, Technical Support Elise Daubié
CREDITS
Co-production: Le Gymnase CDCN – Pôle International de Production et de Diffusion Danse Enfance Jeunesse. With the support of: KulturFactory – Domicella (IT), KLAP – Maison pour la danse Marseille.
With the kind support of the Institut français.
HOT is supported as part of the ‘take-off: Junger Tanz Düsseldorf’ programme, funded by the City of Düsseldorf, the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the RWE Foundation and the PwC Foundation.
FLIP (German premiere)
Monica Muñoz
Wed 18.11. 10:00 + 16:00, Thu 19.11. 10:00
Ages 3+ // Duration 30 minutes // Watch
TANZHAUS NRW, KLEINER SAAL
FLIP is an unstoppable ode to play. Two dancers whirl, jump and flip between breakdance and contemporary dance in a performance full of movement, rhythm and beautiful chaos – for children and adults who simply cannot sit still.
CAST
Concept/idea Mónica Muñoz, Choreography Mónica Muñoz in collaboration with the dancers, Original cast Cristian Emmanuel Dirocie and Martijn Joling, German tour cast Martijn Joling and Ben Stuettgen, Set and costume consultant Sabine Dargent, Lighting design Sebastian Pizarro, Sound design Denis Clohessy, Lighting and technical support Paul Lenihan
CREDITS
FLIP was created with support from the Arts Council of Ireland and Meitheal. The German tour of FLIP is supported by Culture Ireland.
FLIP is supported as part of take-off: Junger Tanz Düsseldorf, funded by the City of Düsseldorf, the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the RWE Foundation and the PwC Foundation.
Notes of Self
James Batchelor & Collaborators
Fri 20.11. 10:00, Sat 21.11. 15:00
Ages 5+ // Duration 40 minutes // Watch
TANZHAUS NRW, STUDIO 6
For a year, James Batchelor explored dance and movement together with children at a school in Berlin. In this solo, that experience meets the diasporic history of Ausdruckstanz – a focused, distinctive encounter between dance history and children’s perspectives.
CAST
Choreography & Performance James Batchelor, Dramaturgy Bek Berger, Composition Morgan Hickinbotham, Lighting Design Veslemøy Rustad Holseter, Costume Design Cote Jaña Zuñiga
CREDITS
A production by James Batchelor and Collaborators, co-produced with Sophiensæle. Funded by the Performing Arts Fund from resources provided by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. Co-produced by the LUNA PARK e.V. initiative as part of the LUNAPARK.Residency Grants programme, curated by the initiative’s artistic director, Kosmas Kosmopoulos. Funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion.
Notes of Self is supported as part of the ‘take-off: Junger Tanz Düsseldorf’ programme, funded by the City of Düsseldorf, the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the RWE Foundation and the PwC Foundation.
[Superstrat[
par terre / Anne Nguyen Dance Company
Fri 20.11. 19:00
Ages 8+ // Duration 45 minutes // Watch
TANZHAUS NRW, KLEINER SAAL
A powerful solo full of rhythm, precision and energy. Dance and music travel between African traditions and hip-hop, between past and present – continually reinventing themselves along the way.
CAST
Choreography Anne Nguyen, Performer Mark-Wilfried Kouadio aka „Willy Kazzama“ Original soundtrack Pierre Demange & Grégoire Letouvet, Costume Ludivine Maillard, Lighting design Nicolas Flamant
CREDITS
Production par Terre / Anne Nguyen Dance Company; Coproductions La Manufacture CDCN Nouvelle-Aquitaine Bordeaux • La Rochelle; Opéra de Massy; Espace 1789 de Saint-Ouen, scène conventionnée pour la danse
With the support of Centre Chorégraphique National d’Aquitaine en Pyrénées-Atlantiques – Malandain Ballet Biarritz (accueil studio); Théâtre des 2 Rives de Charenton-le-Pont; Théâtre de Choisy-le-Roi – Scène Conventionnée d’intérêt national art et création pour la diversité linguistique; Ville de Thourotte
[Superstrat[ is supported as part of the ‘take-off: Junger Tanz Düsseldorf’ programme, funded by the City of Düsseldorf, the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the RWE Foundation and the PwC Foundation.
Bonkers Kidsrave (German premiere)
Zonzo Compagnie / Nikolas Lestaeghe, Jonathan Cant, Laura Conant & Casimir Franken
Sat 21.11. ab 13:00
Ages 5+ // Installation – come and go at any time // Take part
TANZHAUS NRW
Suddenly, a bunker appears at tanzhaus nrw and becomes a club for young ravers. Loud beats, haze, soap bubbles and plenty of room to dance and let go. Just like in a club, you can come in whenever there is space. Adults? Sorry, too big. Stay outside!
CAST
Concept Jonathan Cant, Laura Conant, Casimir Franken & Nikolas Lestaeghe, Set design Casimir Franken, Xander Houben, Nikolas Lestaeghe & Bert Maesen, Graphic design & website Laura Conant
CREDITS
Production More is More vzw; Co-production C-TAKT, Musica & Zonzo Compagnie; With thanks to BRONKS & Het Bos; Funded by the Flemish Community and the Flemish Community Commission (VGC).
Bonkers Kidsrave is supported as part of take-off: Junger Tanz Düsseldorf, funded by the City of Düsseldorf, the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the RWE Foundation and the PwC Foundation.
Before the Mirror Learned My Name (Dance film)
Ruby
Sat 21.11. 16:00 – 17:45
for everyone // Duration 5 minutes, shown on a continuous loop // Watch
TANZHAUS NRW, KLEINER SAAL
A short dance film featuring young dancers aged between 16 and 27. Between self-image and society’s gaze, the film explores beauty standards, belonging and empowerment – and asks how we see ourselves.
CAST
Choreography & Creative Direction Ruby, Director of Photography, Editing & VFX Felix Küpper, Music Production & Composition Robin Neuser
The Round (German premiere)
ECCE / Claire Croizé
Sat 21.11. 18:00, Sun 22.11. 16:00
Ages 8+ // Duration 60 minutes // Watch
TANZHAUS NRW, GROSSER SAAL
Following a weekend full of performances by Düsseldorf’s youth companies, nine young dancers from Brussels now take to the stage. Bursting with energy that is sometimes loud, sometimes quirky, and sometimes playful, they create a wild celebration of youth, movement and community, with the audience up close.
CAST
Concept & Choreography Claire Croizé, Dance & Creation Augusta Bodson, Anaïs Castiaux, Gabriela Fernández Tojal, Célestine Espinosa, Vera Fonteyne, Denissia Mayné, Marjane Quaghebeur Van Kerckhove, Kamiel Verheyden, Juliette Verhovert, Valentine Wellens Henrotte, Artistic & Technical Assistant Etienne Guilloteau, Artistic Assistants Youness Khoukhou, Albertine Guilloteau Croizé, Set Design Decoratelier Jozef Wouters, Costumes Anne-Catherine Kunz, Music PEAUX and MÉTAUX from PLÉIADES, composed by Iannis XENAKIS © Ed. SALABERT, performed by Les Percussions de Strasbourg on the album XENAKIS: PLÉIADES ET PERSEPHASSA, 2021; Hip-hop, composed by Jo Zanders, and merengue, composed by Louis Favre, performed by the Fanfakids., Stage, Lighting, & Sound Technology Robrecht Ghesquière, Production Assistant Manon Vandeputte, Financial Management Christel Simons, Production ECCE, Management, Communications & Distribution Carine Meulders, Financial Administration Christel Simons
CREDITS
Co-production Kanal-Centre Pompidou Brussel, Molenbeek for Brussel 2030, Het Lab Hasselt, Perpodium, Ultima Vez. Residencies Ultima Vez, Kunstencentrum Buda, La Raffinerie-Charleroi-danse, Rosas/Dancingkids. With thanks to C-Takt +, Decoratelier, Katrien Van Aerschot and Rosas/Dancingkids.
The Round is supported as part of take-off: Junger Tanz Düsseldorf, funded by the City of Düsseldorf, the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the RWE Foundation and the PwC Foundation.
Hit Hip Pop Classic Parade (German premiere)
David Rolland
Sun 22.11. 14:00, Mon 23.11. 10:00
Ages 7+ // Duration 55 minutes // Take part
TANZHAUS NRW, Foyer
To close the festival, a piece for absolutely everyone – and a big celebration together. Put on your headphones and off we go: two dancers guide the audience through hits from classical music, opera, pop, rap and disco. Everyone is welcome to join in!
CAST
Artistic Concept David Rolland, Dance Performance (alternating casts) Anne Reymann, David Rolland, Rodolphe Toupin, Lucie Collardeau, Fani Sarantari, Kevin Ferré
CREDITS
A production of the Association Ipso Facto Danse (David Rolland Chorégraphies) in co-production with the Opéra de Lille. Supported by the DRAC of the Pays de la Loire (affiliated company), the Conseil Départemental de Loire-Atlantique (affiliated company), and the City of Nantes.
With the kind support of the Institut français.
Hit Hip Pop Parade is supported as part of take-off: Junger Tanz Düsseldorf, funded by the City of Düsseldorf, the Ministry of Culture and Science of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the RWE Foundation, and the PwC Foundation.
Workshops
Focus on young people
vielleicht_regen_, tanzhhaus youth company, D’Insiders junges Schauspiel, Tonhalle Youth Symphony Orchestra, FFT youth groups
The first festival weekend belongs to the young people from the four partner venues. They have their own programme: meeting one another, taking to the stage, watching each other’s performances, engaging in discussion and trying out new things in shared workshops. This is made possible through funding from the PwC Foundation.
It begins with the woodwind ensemble of the Tonhalle Youth Symphony Orchestra, which opens the festival with music. Afterwards, performances include Tracks by the tanzhaus nrw youth company and WE NEED YOU at FFT. The D’Insiders, the youth advisory board of Junges Schauspiel, join the collective vielleicht_regen_ to host a special edition of Unbubbled over brunch.
Young people’s perspectives will remain visible throughout the festival: a group of young people will take over the take-off Instagram account, sharing what they experience, discover and think. Follow them on Instagram: @takeoffjungertanz!
Brunch, Unbubbled and Workshops
Sun 15.11. 12:00 – 17:00
For participants in the youth programme
JUNGES SCHAUSPIEL, CENTRAL
Mixed-abled Tanzcamp goes take-off Festival
Bea Carolina Remark, Andreas Simon, Jan Kress, Julia Keren Turbahn
Sat 21.11. + Sun 22.11. 10:00 – 15:00
Ages 6 – 14
TANZHAUS NRW, STUDIO 7 & 8
Two days of dancing together, experimenting and discovering new things. On 21 and 22 November, four experienced dance artists invite you to join their workshops: Bea Carolina Remark, Andreas Simon, Jan Kress and Julia Keren Turbahn. Some bring their own lived experience of disability; all are experts in making dance accessible to different bodies and needs. With or without dance experience, everyone aged between 6 and 14 is welcome!
Daily schedule
10:00–13:00: Dance workshop
13:00–14:00: Lunch together
From 14:00: Attend performances in the festival programme together
One workshop group will be offered in German Sign Language (DGS). If you have any questions beforehand about individual support or accessibility, please contact us at jungestanzhaus@tanzhaus-nrw.de
Professional programme
The professional programme is for people working in dance, culture and education, and for everyone professionally involved in dance for young audiences.
Anniversary day
Fri 13.11. 10:30 – 16.30
For professionals
TANZHAUS NRW, FOYER & STUDIO 6
After 20 years of take-off, we are taking a day to look back, find new inspiration and look to the future together. We will be joined by people who have helped shape take-off over the years, including educators, dance practitioners, and cultural policymakers.
Register here: jungestanzhaus@tanzhaus-nrw.de
Symposium on dance for young audiences
Fri 20.11. 11:30 – 17:00
For professionals
TONHALLE DÜSSELDORF, TRAUTVETTER-BRÜCKNER-SAAL
Dance for young audiences is a strong and diverse field – and take-off was among the first platforms to give it a dedicated space in Germany. Today, North Rhine-Westphalia in particular is home to a wide variety of artistic and educational practices.
At the conference, we focus on artistic and curatorial practices, and on the people whose ongoing specialised work is dedicated to dance for young audiences. This professional day includes an input from choreographer Gillie Kleiman, with further guests to be confirmed.
Register here: jungestanzhaus@tanzhaus-nrw.de