VOR.ORT in Stolzenhagen | 23.-25.06. and 11.-13.09.

VOR.ORT strengthens creative connections in rural Brandenburg

As part of the VOR.ORT residency organized by »Ponderosa e.V.« within the framework of »tanz weit draußen«, two local dance professionals from rural Brandenburg are invited to participate in an intensive three-day exchange with another person. The aim is to provide new impetus for their own artistic, curatorial, and educational work and to highlight dance as a connecting element in rural areas. Dance artists and educators often face particular challenges in rural areas: a lack of infrastructure, limited opportunities for exchange, and less visibility make their work more difficult. The VOR.ORT residency deliberately creates space for networking, shared practice, and open encounters—thus making dance a driving force for creative development and a vibrant cultural scene in the region.

Format and goals

The residency combines two three-day studio sessions for a tandem of local and invited dance professionals. The residency concludes in July and September with an action day featuring an open class day and exchange format. The focus is on networking, artistic practice, and peer-to-peer learning. This creates an inspiring space for collective reflection and sustainable further education.

The participants

DUO 1: Yasmin Schönmann (Stolzenhagen) and Rodolfo Piazza Pfitscher da Silva | June 23-25, 2025

Yasmin Schönmann (Stolzenhagen) is a dance artist who has been working as a dancer, choreographer, and dance teacher for 12 years. The aim of her work is to interpret socio-political issues through dance and to attract a new audience for contemporary dance, especially in rural areas. She meets Rodolfo Piazza Pfitscher da Silva, a freelance dance artist, performer, and choreographer. He lives in Berlin and Brandenburg, where he collaborates with a diverse range of interdisciplinary artists from the fields of dance, music, and theater in Germany and Europe.

In June 2023, they will immerse themselves in a dance research process lasting several days. An open class will also be held for the local community.

DUO 2: Thomas Skupy (Parsteinsee) and Irina Pauls | September 11-13, 2025

Thomas Skupy (Parsteinsee) has been working as a freelance dance teacher and artist in Brandenburg since 2006, and has been teaching at the Schwedt/Oder School of Music and Art since 2016. His residency in September 2025 will see a reunion with choreographer and dance educator Irina Pauls, in whose ensemble he danced in Heidelberg and Freiburg from 2002 onwards. Irina Pauls, in whose ensemble he danced in Heidelberg and Freiburg from 2002 onwards. Irina Pauls founded the TanzTheater am Schauspiel Leipzig in 1990, worked as ballet director and department head at several German theaters, and is now internationally active as a freelance choreographer and director with over 90 works of her own.

On September 13, 2025, VOR.ORT invites you to a joint action day in Stolzenhagen.