Open the Arts Festival

When Swing Reaches the Saarland

The Open the Arts Festival in Saarlouis is one of the few international dance and movement art festivals in the Saarland. The concept is unusual: classic Lindy Hop workshops are combined with Solo Jazz, improv theater, comedy, clowning, and physical movement art. For three days, the Theater am Ring on Kaiser-Friedrich-Ring transforms into an international meeting point for dance and performance.

Who Comes Here

The festival attracts dancers from all over Europe — Lindy Hoppers from Berlin, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Milan are common. At the same time, Open the Arts specifically targets beginners: there are beginner workshops on festival Sunday, taster sessions before the parties, and weekly beginner courses starting in early March in Saarbrücken.

Workshops and Courses Offered

• 17 workshops at various skill levels
• Lindy Hop (main discipline) — the swing dance form of the 1930s and 1940s
• Solo Jazz — dance form without a partner
• Improv Theater
• Comedy and Clowning
• Movement Art

Three Evening Parties with Live Bands

The highlight of each festival session is the three parties: each with a live band playing music from the 1930s to the 1950s. DJs from the Team Lindy Hop Saarbrücken will also be present. Open Arts Stage — an open stage — gives dancers and performance artists the opportunity to showcase their own contributions.

Organization

The festival is organized in cooperation between Lindy Hop Saarbrücken, the leading swing dance club in Saarland, and the European City of Saarlouis. The Theater am Ring serves as the main venue, with additional spaces in the city used for workshops.

Saarlouis as a Festival City

Saarlouis — a fortress city in the Saarlouis district, founded in 1680 by Louis XIV — has developed into a festival city in recent years: from Emmes (concert festival) to the Max Ophüls Film Festival in the vicinity, to Open the Arts. The compact city center and good accessibility (train from Saarbrücken in 20 minutes) make the city an ideal festival backdrop.