TANZtage Duisburg

36 Years of Amateur Dance in the Ruhr Area

Since its founding in 1991, the TANZtage Duisburg has become an institutional highlight of German amateur dance. With over 5,000 dancers in its annual participant statistics, the festival is considered the largest of its kind in Germany — a format that brings together dance groups, school choirs, hip-hop crews, and modern dance ensembles from all over the country (and beyond). The 36th edition runs from February 27 to March 22, 2026.

Preliminary Rounds and Finals

The festival is organized as a competition with preliminary rounds and finals. The preliminary rounds take place from February 27 to March 8, 2026, in the Rheinhausen-Halle — sorted by dance style and age group. The best groups in each category qualify for the finals on March 21 and 22, 2026, at the Theater Duisburg, the city's prestigious stage at Stadttheater am König-Heinrich-Platz.

Categories and Styles

The festival showcases the full spectrum of contemporary amateur dance. The competition categories include:

• Jazz & Modern — classical and contemporary trends
• Showdance — choreographically elaborate stage formats
• Streetdance — urban styles
• Hip-Hop — from Old School to current trends
• Stage Dance — ensemble choreographies
• School Dance Contest — a competition for school groups with its own judging

The age groups range from children's formations to adult ensembles. Judging is conducted by an expert jury of professional choreographers, dance educators, and stage artists.

A Festival Without Participation Fees

A special feature of the festival: Participation in the preliminary rounds is free for dancers — a unique selling point that fundamentally shapes the festival's accessible nature. Registration runs from November to February via the festival website.

Duisburg as the Dance Capital

Duisburg in the Ruhr area — an independent city in western North Rhine-Westphalia with around 500,000 inhabitants — has become the capital of German amateur dance with the TANZtage. The festival complements the city's rich dance tradition: The Pina Bausch Foundation in Wuppertal and the Tanzhaus NRW in Düsseldorf are in close proximity — together, they form Germany's densest dance cluster.