Bielefeld Dance Festival

Two Weeks of Dance in Bielefeld

The Bielefeld Dance Festival is one of the most important dance events in Ostwestfalen-Lippe. From Sunday, July 19 to Saturday, August 1, 2026, the festival will fill Bielefeld's city center with performances, workshops, and open-air programs during its two-week run. The organizers are the Bielefeld Cultural Office and the Tanz OWL initiative.

The Four Venues 2026

• TOR6 Theaterhaus — the central festival hub with the main program
• DansArt-Theater — stage for smaller, intimate performances
• Rudolf-Oetker-Halle — the large concert hall for workshop performances
• Rathausplatz — open-air stage with free programming

Performance Highlights 2026

The 2026 lineup combines internationally established companies with regional stars:

• Area Jeune Ballet (Swiss Youth Company)
• imPerfect Dancers Company (Italy)
• Tchekpo Dance Company (Bielefeld — African contemporary dance by Tchekpo Dan Agbetou)
• Urban Stylez — Bielefeld's renowned Hip-Hop dance company
• Laboration Art Company with Laura Arend

Over 50 Workshops

The workshop program is the vibrant heart of the festival. Over 50 workshops are spread across the two weeks — from Contemporary, Ballet, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Dancehall, Flamenco to special techniques such as African dance, the Limón method, and improvisation. Workshop participants traditionally present their results at the end of each week on the Rathausplatz and in the Rudolf-Oetker-Halle.

“Dance for All” — The Supporting Program 2026

New in 2026: the supporting program “Dance for All” with free formats for a broad audience:

• “33 Sessions” — free Hip-Hop outdoor meet-up at Kesselbrink with Skye Malone and Dimitar Dimitrov
• Documentary screening “Germaine Acogny — The Essence of Dance” at Lichtwerk Ravensberger Park
• Participatory formats on the Rathausplatz

Bielefeld as a Dance Location

For decades, Bielefeld has been a central dance location in Ostwestfalen — shaped by the Theater Bielefeld with its own dance company and by strong independent scenes like Tchekpo Dance, Urban Stylez, and DansArt. The Dance Festival consolidates this identity once a year, creating a two-week platform for regional and international choreography.