danceWEB Scholarship Programme 2022

The danceWEB Scholarship Programme 2022 took place from 6 July to 10 August in the frame of the ImPulsTanz – Vienna International Dance Festival. 41 participants form 28 countries were selected by the artistic committee and the mentors of the programme 2022.

The program focuses on intensive training and further education, participants could choose freely from 230 workshops and 122 performances of the ImPulsTanz festival in 2022. Furtherm the danceWEB Scholarship Programme is aimed especially at exchange and networking. Through the setting and structures of the ImPulsTanz Festival, it offers a unique place to network on an international level with the artists present. In this way, there are always successful collaborations and initiatives that are initiated in the course of the scholarship program and which the ImPulsTanz Festival - just like the individual artistic careers of the scholarship holders - continues to follow with great interest, attention and pleasure.

This year’s mentors were the Austrian based German actress and performer Nicola Schößler and the Belgian choreographer, dancer and filmmaker Wim Vandekeybus. Both share the experiences of a collaboration in the frame of the project S’nachts, a solo performance for Wim Vandekeybus under the direction of Nicola Schößler.

Nicola Schößler works furthermore as Alexander Technique practitioner as well as actress, director, performer/dancer in numerous international projects. Her approach as danceWEB mentor lied within an interest for experimental settings which allow an exchange and observation of human behaviours. In the frame of the danceWEB mentoring she seeks the possibility of reflecting upon the terms intensity and energy in body, language and thought together with the participants.

Wim Vandekeybus was present at this year’s festival with his compagnie Ultima Vez, which celebrated their 35^th anniversary. For this special occasion the participants were invited to witness the general rehearsal of the world premiere of the performance Scattered Memories, at the Volkstheater Vienna. Vandekeybus’ interest as mentor lied within the exchange of experiences and practices with a special focus on the uniqueness of each performer. For him dance is a form of communication to which the presence of the theatrical is inherent and can lead to a form of freedom and excess.

These topics became visible during the first days of the festival („Welcome Days“), during which the participants hat time to exclusively work with their mentors for three days, in order to getting to know each other and explore performative and movement related group exercises.

For both mentors it was important not to present a set of rules which have to be followed by the participants but rather allow for an intuitive and moderating way of making group experiences possible. Within those the participants got a chance to follow individual interests and viewpoints on these topics. The different ways of defining the idea of mentorship lead to an ongoing reframing of approaches and eventually manifested itself in an enriching dynamic balance between mentors and the group.

In the frame of two danceWEB salons and during the “Closing Days” the participants and mentors had time to come together again. During those meetings getting to know each other and the exchange of experiences made at the festival were of major importance but also further topics as for example feminism and its different interpretations within changing contexts and cultures, discussions about the term “consent” in artistic processes, questions about professional pathways for young dancers and performers, the political impact of the Russian-Ukrainian war in the art world as well as the question of how to stay in touch after the festival, were topics discussed by the participants.

During further feedback talks in addition to the generally very positive feedback from the fellows, a critical view on the festival was also made possible. In a group discussion on the question of whether more trigger warnings are generally necessary on the part of the organizers or artists in performances, a lively conversation arose about the possible definitions of these "triggers" in different contexts, cultural circles and schools of thought. Also, as in the previous year, the desire for an "awareness team" at the various festival locations (workshop center, lounge) arose, in order to be able to turn to them in moments of personal overload or experienced border crossings. A wish that also reflects the topicality of those issues such as "consent" or the question of physical/psychological border crossings in the art world.

On 27 July, danceWEB/Life Long Burning and the ImPulsTanz Festival invited friends and funding institutions of the ATLAS scholarship program to the so-called danceWEB & ATLAS Reception 2022 at the Rote Bar in the Volkstheater and also welcomed representatives of various embassies in Vienna. The festive evening successfully took place for the second time this year together with 41 danceWEB scholarship holders in order to further support the given synergies between the two further education programs. In addition, this celebration offers the opportunity for funding bodies to get to know the 2022 scholarship holders personally. Afterwards, all invited guests were able to attend the dress rehearsal of the world premiere of “Scattered Memories”, by Wim Vandekeybus/Ultima Vez, and engage in boisterous conversations in the festival lounge later in the evening.

On 28 July, a Q&A conversation with Chris Standfest, curator of the [8:tension] Young Choreographers' Series, and all [8:tension] artists present, took place at MuTh am Augarten. On this occasion, for the first time, all participants of the programs ATLAS, danceWEB, ImPact and the Turbo-Residencies were united, resulting in a very lively two-hour conversation. The format was very well received and should be continued in the coming years. Especially the [8:tension] series is interesting for the participants of these programs, as many of them are young and emerging choreographers themselves who have already created their own works and presented them at international venues. This creates a conversation and exchange between colleagues and the opportunity to make new contacts, which are especially important for this generation of choreographers for their further professional path.

danceWEB Scholarship Recipients 2022
(lives in / is from)

Adela Maharani                                     Austria              Indonesia
Alexander Miller                                    Germany          Germany
Buket Kapisiz                                        Turkey              Turkey
Caner Teker                                         Germany          Germany
Diogo Amaral                                        Mozambique     Mozambique
Elisabeth Raymond                               Sweden            Sweden
Farah Deen                                          Austria              Austria
Francesco D’Amelio                              Germany          Italy
Halima Masoud                                     Tanzania           Tanzania
Hanna Binder                                       Austria              Germany
Hrista Panayotova                                 Germany          Bulgaria
Hubert Thériault                                    Canada            Canada
Hyaejin Lee                                          Belgium            South Korea
Ioannis Tsigkris                                     Greece             Greece
Ji Yoon Chung                                      Austria              South Korea
Jing Xiang                                            Germany          Germany
Júlia Godino Llorens                              Belgium            Spain
Kaja Piszczek                                       Austria              Germany
Kuan-Hsuan Lee                                   Switzerland       Taiwan
Lauri Lohi                                             Sweden            Sweden
Lizaveta Tarabanava                              Russia              Belarus
Luís Guerra                                           Portugal           Portugal

Mai Juli Nhanpulo                                 Mozambique     Mozambique
Maria Teresa Tanzarella                        Sweden            Italy
Mariia Bakalo                                       Ukraine             Ukraine
Nadine Mathis                                      Austria              Austria
Naïma Mazic                                        Austria              Austria
Nathan Ooms                                       Belgium            Belgium
Nitzan Shafran                                      Israel                Israel
Nora Barna (Varga)                                Hungary           Hungary
Paula Chaves Bonilla                             Netherlands      Colombia
Rafael Candela                                     Italy                  Italy
Shira Marek                                          Israel                Israel
Surendra Tekale                                    Portugal           India
Thalia Pigier                                         France              France
Theresa Scheinecker                             Austria              Austria
Thjerza Balaj                                         Denmark           Norway
Tiia Kasurinen                                       Finland             Finland
Valérie Doucet                                      Canada            Canada
Wai Ying Lam                                       Taiwan             Hong Kong
Zafinoa Hanitriniaina Kezia Jonah           Senegal            Madagascar

Gallery pics by Alexandra Glatz, Marlene Rosenthal & yako.one