Touring event Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Pasta ohne Ende, 1000 Kisses, Hero – pop-up productions visiting Vorpommern-Rügen –

tanz weit draußen – tour in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Video currently only available in German.)
‘tanz weit draußen’ tours MV – a touring project of the network ‘tanz weit draußen’, in co-operation with Mecklenburg-Vorpommern tanzt an and Perform[d]ance e. V.



From 12-15 March 2023, three pop-up dance pieces from different federal states toured Western Pomerania – from kindergartens and schools in the hinterland to the Grundtvighaus in Sassnitz on the island of Rügen. The dancers who perform in Pasta ohne Ende, 1000 Kisses and Hero don’t need a big stage; on each of the four days of the tour, they dance in classrooms, gyms and community halls. This is precisely why they have developed their pop-up productions about enjoying pasta, kisses or turning defeats into victories: to be able to show sophisticated, entertaining dance for children and young people anywhere and without much effort – even in places where the art of dance rarely or never goes!
But it wasn’t just dancers and choreographers who came to Western Pomerania; dance educators from various federal states were also invited to take part in the tour. They accompanied the performances with movement workshops and discussions and were able to exchange ideas with dance artists from the region. Input for everyone – this is how the concept of these days can be described: for children and young people who experience an artistic interruption to their school day through dance, for the travelling dance artists and dance mediators who can show their productions and gain insights into the realities of life and working practices in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and for the local dance professionals who were able to expand their knowledge and network enormously through the encounters and exchanges.



On the afternoon of the third day, the experiences of this tour and exchange project were discussed. In a working discussion, participants and guests from local and state politics, culture and education and representatives of the ‘tanz weit draußen’ network partners discussed questions such as: What do we need to be able to set up such tour and exchange formats more broadly? What financial, personnel and infrastructural support is needed so that this pilot project can be repeated and also realised in other federal states?



The working meeting took place on Tuesday, 14 March 2023 from 4:30 – 6:00 pm in Stralsund.
This project as part of the ‘tanz weit draußen’ network is funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media via the ‘Verbindungen Fördern’ programme of the Bundesverband Freie Darstellende Künste e.V. (Federal Association of Independent Performing Arts).

All photos: © Peter van Heesen