REAL DANCE 2026
Five days of dance are behind us. On 28 January, the REAL DANCE Festival 2026 opened at the Schauspielhaus with Mixed Bill by A.I.M by Kyle Abraham. The multi-part evening presented three outstanding repertoire pieces as well as the world premiere of Mediation Reprise, which deals with violence against Black people in the USA. The evening impressed not only because of its poignant relevance, but also due to its aesthetic diversity.
The other international guest performances also positioned dance as an artistic and critical commentary on their respective countries of origin. While Beugré explored the ancestors of her homeland through dance and music in Épique ! (pour Yikakou), SoftMachine: The Return by Choy Ka Fai reflected on dance as an expression of identity, history and friendship. Jerron Herman – unable to dance due to illness – choreographed the visually impaired dancer-choreographer Christopher ‘Unpezverde’ Núñez in Teresa Solar Abboud's exhibition Self-Portrait as a Pregnant Woman at the Kunstverein Hannover.
The festival concluded on 1 February with Ready To Be Soft by the Brujas Collective, the first all-style battle to be held in the New Town Hall. In three rounds, more than 70 dancers competed before an international panel of judges and the audience.
Festival director Melanie Zimmermann is delighted that the festival is gaining in importance in the public eye with its third edition:
"This edition was special because we have now organised the festival for the third time: Real Dance has become a tradition! We have found our place in the scene here and really enjoy working with the artists and institutions to produce even more diversity and internationality in dance in the city. This edition was also special because we had two projects in the programme that were exceptionally large for our small festival and into which a lot of heart and soul went. With Kyle Abraham, a world-renowned choreographer celebrated a world premiere in Hanover, and with the Brujas Collective, Hanover witnessed how important it is to provide a platform for young local talents and to support them. Many international guests travelled to Hanover for the stage programme and to take part in the battle, which shows that the festival is gaining in importance. What pleases me most, however, is that many audience members who don't often find their way to the theatre seemed to feel at home with us. We can look back on a very broad and diverse audience and will continue to work on offering as many connections as possible to aesthetically relevant and groundbreaking productions for future editions of the Real Dance Festival. Real Dance is made for Hanover, and I believe people can feel that."
