Editorial

Editorial & statements

Dear audience,

thf 26 showcases contemporary dance in every conceivable colour and form – a celebration of life!
The ARGEkultur foyer is transformed into an exhibition and performance space: large-format, vibrantly coloured woodblock prints adorn the walls, one of which is created live at the festival opening.
Before the main acts, there will be Ukrainian, Brazilian and Bavarian singing, whilst laughter yoga will help relax the mind. The ARGEstudio will become a cinema, with dance films from all over the world transporting us into this currently booming art form.
The next generation of dance artists will use short pieces of diverse aesthetics to tell of their world, which is perceived, felt and processed in very different ways. Established artists reflect on the themes of their lives, and two performances are specifically aimed at children.
The Climate Day cuts right through the middle of it all: a group of people sleeping collectively, creating a sound ensemble from their breath and voices, provides a counterpoint to the lecture by Austria’s best-known climate scientist.

thf 26 – life is a dance: reflection, music, performance and moving images are all part of it, and of course there is plenty of space for conversations and encounters.

Editta Braun

WHAT TIMES WE LIVE IN …
This autumn follows a summer thatwas probably hotter than any other since records began – andpossibly cooler than any we are yet to experience. The world in whichwe are celebrating this festival is ablaze in every nook and cranny. War,totalitarianism and toxic patriarchy are once again the order of the day. In such a moment of ominous global trends,does art even make sense anymore? Shouldn’t we rather throw all our energies into the revolt? Or is it already too late anyway? We atthe editta braun company have been asking ourselves these questions for fifteen years now; the answer wasthe play ‘schluss mit kunst’.
 The search for an artistic language that offers a counterpoint to this madness continues.  
And there are many of us.

Editta Braun & Gerda Poschmann-Reichen

Voices of art lovers

Once again I find myself in the theatre, in the dance theatre, in the cinema, in search of sustenance – spiritual sustenance.
Art provides that for me. It provides it for my mind, tormented by the war in Ukraine, the war in Gaza, the war in Iran, the war in Sudan, the war on the environment.
Suddenly, I can see better times ahead of me once more. Times beyond single-use culture, beyond senseless excess, beyond withered landscapes, stinking seas and polluted air.
If I’m lucky with art, I walk out after the performance and feel like sitting down at ‘the table of my life.
CLAUDIA GMACHL