FRATZ International 2026

Once again this year, FRATZ International and Offensive Tanz are collaborating to raise the profile of young dance for Berlin audiences and to exchange ideas with international industry professionals on artistic, aesthetic, and structural issues. This year’s FRATZ Festival, featuring theater and dance for the youngest audiences, will take place in Berlin from October 9 to 15, 2026.

The program includes, among others, BÄÄÄM—A Dance Performance for Deaf and Hearing Audiences (3+) by tanzfuchs PRODUKTION / Barbara Fuchs from Cologne, Germany; BOSQUE (Forest)—A dance performance for children (ages 2+) by Flores TeatroDanza / Teatro Al Vacío from Mexico, and The Sticky Dance*—For the Youngest (ages 3–5) by Second Hand Dance from the United Kingdom.

The dance performance Baobab by Cíntia Rangel & Theater o.N.—which has been nominated for the 2026 Ikarus Prize and is on the longlist for the 2027 AUGENBLICK MAL! Festival—will also be featured at the festival.

FRATZ also marks the kickoff for a series of new research projects commissioned by Offensive Tanz:

Offensive Tanz and FRATZ invite you to an informal exchange on intergenerational forms in dance for young audiences on Saturday, October 10. This event also serves as the kickoff for our first RESIDENCY in cooperation with FELD Theater for Young Audiences. Artists Lea Martini and Eva-Martina Günther will present their research project “a circle. almost round.” Interested parties are invited to join in a discussion of various formats and experiences with intergenerational work.

We are also launching the first ATELIER with the youngest participants, led by choreographer Renae Shadler and set designer Camille Lacadée. The ATELIER is a participatory experimental space that will take shape before and during the FRATZ Festival, where the two artists will engage in creative activities together with children from daycare centers. On Sunday, October 11, all industry professionals are invited to an ATELIER session designed specifically for this occasion. You can step into the role of the co-creating children and then exchange ideas with the artists.

In addition, together with ASSITEJ’s international Young Dance Network, we invite you to the Junge Tanzhaus Berlin on Monday evening (October 13) for a dynamic get-together and exchange.

Furthermore, the FRATZ Symposium will explore various aspects of accessibility. There will be a discussion with the artists from tanzfuchs about their work for deaf and hearing audiences (October 10), as well as a discussion with the artists from Second Hand Dance about their work for neurodivergent audiences (October 11).

Accreditation for industry professionals begins on July 15, and advance ticket sales for the performances start on July 31.

More infos: www.fratz-festival.de

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Photo Credits:

(1) BÄÄÄM - (c) Peter Stephan Herff

(2) Bosque - (c) David Lopez

(3) The Sticky Dance - (c) Zoe Manders

(4) Baobab - (c) Douglas Pingituro