Tanz im August, 2026, Berlin, Germany
38 Years of Dance in August, Berlin
By: Angelika Jansen - Sep 01, 2026
Tanz im August/Dance in August, 2026, in Berlin, Germany
Another amazing dance festival in Berlin, Germany, has shown its allure. The 38th edition of Tanz im August took place this year from August 13-29, 2026 and delighted its audiences again. 19 productions at 11 venues were presented to the public. Of these, there were three world premieres, six German first and four co-productions with Berlin under the artistic direction of Ricardo Carmona. They were again organized by the theaters Hebbel am Ufer (HAU) under Annemie Vanackere direction.
This year unfolded as a whirlwind of emotions and political statements put into dance steps. As always the performances were packed to the last seats, and they were appreciated with tumultuous applause. At MASTERWORKS FOR SIX DANCERS by the En-Knap productions in Ljubljana, Slovenia, the audience could not get enough of these fabulous six dancers. They amazed with single and group performances on stage. Even their costumes were extraordinary, since most of the "Clothing" was simply painted on.
The festival opened with Joana Tischkau, Jeremy Nedd, Sophie Yukiko, and the Malpaso Dance Company's Trapicana. This tour de force for the nine dancers investigated the fame of the glamorous night club Tropicana in Havana. As in a fever dream the discrepancies between authenticity and tourist trap showbiz are played out in frantic movements.
Stunning was another one of the big productions by the Ballet national de Marseille/La Horde called Apres moi, le deluge (After me the Deluge). The twelve dancers created ever new movements on the stage, moving extremely fast and with extraordinary expressions creating explosive situations.
Not only the big productions impressed, there was a solo performance by Trajal Harrell called Music Music, where he uses music from some of his past performances and changes his outfit accordingly. It is presented by Zuerich Dance Ensemble.
This year's festival was mostly one of ensemble performances, allowing sweeping gestures, political and cultural forces to form the expressions of humans through dance. That also included celebrating nature. The Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan impressed here with a group of twelve dancers who were imitating a walk through the woods. Cheng Tsung-lung, artistic director of Cloud Gate had his dancers do an extremely stunning walk through the forest, recreating the mating ritual of birds, showing them enjoying rain and shine. The sound track of the performance was very much created by the dancers as their bodies moved.
It was a festival that included many venues, thus a wide audience was able to enjoy the performances. After 38 years of celebrating Contemporary Dance through this festival, its reputation has consistently and rightfully risen. That was proven this year again through the enthusiasm of the audiences. All of the performances were sold out.