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.

The collaboration between Verena Piwonka and Gab Branco began with dance happenings at Altstadt-Kulturfest Korbach. Building on this experience, they developed the concept for the project series “Spaziertänze – tanz dich durch Kassels Innenstadt” in 2024. The events took place at various locations in public spaces with the aim of bringing the full range of dance performances into people’s everyday lives. Developing this approach further, the duo is now planning a tour through six Hessian cities. In Kassel, Korbach, Giessen, Fulda, Frankfurt a. M. and Wiesbaden, they will connect with the local dance scene and develop a site-specific performance in the urban space with a local artist. Passers-by are invited to watch or actively participate in the performances. In this way, the project 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