Strolling Through Hessen's (dance) Scenes

The dance project brings participatory Dance Happenings into the city centre of six cities in Hessen: Kassel, Korbach, Giessen, Fulda, Frankfurt a.M. and Wiesbaden. The event happens outdoors, dwelling with passers-by, and playfully lingering in each ordinary situation of the daily life of the city.

Duo Branco and Piwonka, who are members of Tanzwerk*Kassel e.V., came up with the proposal through this project to connect with the dance network in each city. By bringing their work to the city, the duo aims to invite local artists, one dancer and photographer, to collaborate with them for the performance.

“Strolling through Hessen’s (dance) scenes” enables people who have never come into contact with dance as an art form to gain low-threshold access and opens up the urban space for creativity and exchange.

Since forming in 2024, the duo Branco & Piwonka have already launched a number of projects, in collaboration with the Korbach Youth Center at the Korbach Old Town Festival and also with Tanzwerk Kassel e.V. for their “Spaziertänze”. Verena Piwonka and Gab Branco are keen to bring dance, with the broad spectrum of its forms and practices, closer to people’s everyday lives, which is why they go out of the studios and theaters.

The jury considers their plan of a tour through six cities in Hessen to be suitable for bringing dance to a wider audience in several ways, both in terms of the audience and the regionally distributed scene of dance makers in Hessen, which is thus creatively networked. In each of the cities (Kassel, Korbach, Gießen, Fulda, Frankfurt a.M., Wiesbaden), the duo will work with artists from the local dance scene to develop performances for public spaces using Instant Composition.

Jury statement - Next Steps Funding - Bureau Ritter and Crespo Foundation

Credits

Direction, concept and production: Duo Branco & Piwonka

Project Coordination: Tina Marschner

Performers: Gab Branco and Verena Piwonka with Moa Florell and Sophie Sengle (Kassel); Franziska Ullrich (Giessen); Martin Angiuli (Wiesbaden); Naia Bokos (Frankfurt a.M.)

Assistants: Tina Marschner (Kassel); Brian Liu (Korbach, Giessen, Fulda and Frankfurt a.M.); Ari Luna (Wiesbaden)

Visual Identity and Flyer Design: Valentina Schuster

Photo credits: Karl-Heinz Mierke (Kassel); Nico Padberg (Korbach); Giuseppe Bonafede (Giessen, Fulda, Wiesbaden and Frankfurt a.M.)

Videography: Johannes Schropp Media

Coordination - Website and Flyers: Gab Branco

PR - Social Media and Press: Verena Piwonka

Cooperation Partners | Koperationpartner:

Kulturhaus Dock 4, SOZO Visions in Motion, Kulturamt Kassel, City Management Kassel, Jugendhaus Korbach, Altstadt-Kulturfest Korbach 2025, Marienschule Fulda, Tanzblick (Dorothée Bretz), Dance Nexus e.V., ID_Tanzhaus Frankfurt Rhein-Main Supporters/In freundlicher Unterstützung durch: Ordnungsamt (Kassel, Korbach, Fulda, Giessen, Frankfurt a.M., Wiesbaden); Tanzwerk*Kassel e.V.; STAMM KAFFEE Kassel; FREIraum Giessen; Die Druckerei - Raum für Tanz Frankfurt; Kiez Kosmos Wiesbaden

Supported as part of Next Steps, a program by Bureau Ritter to strengthen dance professionals in Hessen. Funded by the Crespo Foundation.