PottClash Festival 2026 — Oberhausen

Urban Dance Culture at the Theatre

The PottClash Festival is one of the flagship formats of the Urban Arts Program at Theater Oberhausen — and one of the most important urban dance competitions in North Rhine-Westphalia. The 3rd edition will take place from Friday, March 27th to Sunday, March 29th, 2026. Three days of battles, showcases, and discussion formats between the theater and schools, with dancers from Germany, France, and Switzerland.

The Dance Styles

PottClash works with the defining styles of the urban dance scene:

• Hip-Hop — Vintage and modern, with Old School roots
• House — fluid footwork, soulful
• Krump — explosive, freedom-oriented movement from LA
• Waacking — arm-focused, queer-rooted New York/LA style
• Killzone — PottClash's special format, all styles in one context

Program Schedule 2026

Friday, March 27th — Schoolbattle and UrbanStage

• 12:00 PM–2:00 PM: Schoolbattle at Heinrich-Heine-Gymnasium — eight participating schools compete. PottClash brings dance into everyday school life.
• 5:00 PM–7:00 PM: Panel Discussion on Urban Arts in a theater context — free admission.
• 7:30 PM–9:30 PM: UrbanStage — Performances from France (Art-Track), Germany (Yeliz Pazar), and Switzerland (Dakota & Nadia).

Saturday, March 28th — Pre-Selection and Call Outs

• 2:00 PM–7:00 PM: Pre-Selection — Auditions for Sunday's Main Battle. International dancers compete for spots in the main battles.
• 7:00 PM–10:00 PM: Call Outs — DJ session and open dance floor. Spontaneous solo battles, free cypher, networking for the scene.

Sunday, March 29th — Main Battle

• 3:00 PM–9:30 PM: Main Battle with national and international dancers. Main competition in several style categories. Prize money €2,500 for the winners.

Schoolbattle — Hip-Hop in School

The Schoolbattle at Heinrich-Heine-Gymnasium is a central social program: eight Oberhausen schools send their dance clubs to compete, and the battle is judged by professional judges. PottClash thus brings dance culture directly into schools and gives young dancers the opportunity to perform in front of a large audience.

International Performers 2026

• Art-Track (France) — Choreography collective
• Yeliz Pazar (Germany) — Dancer and choreographer
• Dakota & Nadia (Switzerland) — Duo

Theater Oberhausen — Urban Arts as a Mission

Theater Oberhausen, located at Will-Quadflieg-Platz, has established itself nationwide as a pioneer in Urban Arts Theatre. Programs like PottClash, Afro Light Festival, and several other formats make it the premier destination for urban dance and performance art in the city and state theater context.