For the first time in almost 40 years of its existence, the German Dance Prize will be awarded twice: As the umbrella organization Tanz Deutschland announced in Berlin, the choreographers Marco Goecke and Christoph Winkler will receive this most important award in the category. It goes to two excellent artists from West and East Germany, from ballet and contemporary dance. Across all differences, Goecke and Winkler enrich the theater with unmistakable works and signatures that are rooted in the depths of the present.
Abysmal content, aesthetic virtuosity: Marco Goecke.
(Photo: Regina Brocke)
Goecke, ballet director in Hanover since 2020, pushes the classic formal language beyond traditional boundaries and overwrites it with abysmal content and high doses of energy. His productions seem half manic, half melancholically charged and at the same time shine with technical and aesthetic virtuosity. Companies from The Hague to Monaco have Goecke’s creations in their repertoire, and the Wuppertal native has long been one of the greats of the international theater scene.
Political approach: Christoph Winkler.
(Photo: Cayo Vieira)
Christoph Winkler is one of the most productive and professional dance makers in the independent scene, his approach is political and personal in nature. Born in Torgau, the choreographer, who was socialized with breakdance and martial arts, is a social analyst who dissects proto-fascist tendencies as well as the radicalization of the RAF and family problems. Winkler has just launched environmental-dance.com, a website that combines dance and environmental issues.
In addition to the two awards, each endowed with 10,000 euros, there are two further prizes, which are also rightly awarded. The association “Aktion Tanz – Bundesverband Tanz in Bildung und Gesellschaft”, which is particularly committed to working with children and young people, received an honor for “outstanding development in dance”. Dance theater doyenne Reinhild Hoffmann, a pioneer in the field along with Pina Bausch and Susanne Linke, is being honored for her life’s work. In other words, for grandiose pieces like “Kings and Queens” or “Callas”, which created a spirit of optimism and opened up new perspectives in the 1980s. The awards will be presented on October 15th in Essen.