tanzmainz festival UPDATE #5

The tanzmainz company at Staatstheater Mainz has established itself in recent years as one of the most distinguished ensembles for contemporary dance in the German-speaking world. Under the artistic direction of Honne Dohrmann and with choreographer Guy Weizman as artistic co-director, the company collaborates with internationally renowned guest choreographers, produces world premieres, and maintains a growing repertoire.

The tanzmainz festival UPDATE is the annual review of the company's work. The 5th edition, from February 26 to March 7, 2026, spans ten days and combines three world premieres with revivals from the repertoire and guest performances by friendly companies.

The three world premieres in 2026 are:

Im Mohnfeld (In the Poppy Field) — a choreographic work that takes the image of the poppy field as a symbol of memory, transience, and grief, translating it into a collective dance.

Sky Night — an evening-length piece that combines sky observation, vastness, and intimate encounters in a unique stage and lighting language.

Sugar Rush — an energetic, physically demanding choreography that explores the ambivalent experience of excess, desire, and exhaustion through explicit movement dramaturgy.

The company consists of 21 internationally selected dancers with backgrounds from Southern, Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe, Israel, South America, and Asia. The diversity of physical experiences, training schools, and aesthetic influences is part of the program and is reflected in the breadth of the works.

The stages of the Staatstheater Mainz will be used: the Große Haus for the evening-length main productions, the Kleine Haus for chamber-format works, and the U17 stage for experimental formats and workshop showings.

Accompanying the festival are workshops for dance enthusiasts of all levels and professionals, audience talks with choreographers and dancers, a dance brunch on the weekend, and a small film and photo exhibition in the Staatstheater foyer on the history of the company.