CircusDanceFestival 2026

The CircusDanceFestival was initiated in 2019 by Cologne-based Overhead Project under the artistic direction of choreographer Tim Behren and executive director Mechthild Tellmann. For the past 15 years Overhead Project has been producing choregraphed circus works at the intersection between circus and dance. In addition to its annual edition, CircusDanceFestival initiates a collaboration between European circus and dance academies across the whole year, awards prizes for international co-productions, develops projects to support young people and promising young talent and publishes cross-media content for contemporary circus. The festival focuses on international exchange and dialogue and it promotes critical discourse and provides impetus for the development of contemporary circus as part of the performing arts in Germany.

Under the title “Come Closer – Contemporary Circus Forms between Pop and Avant-Garde”, the upcoming festival edition puts the relationship with the audience centre stage and so opens up new perspectives on circus as an accessible art form – beyond romanticised clichés. In this way the emphasis is placed on audience interaction and perception, the element of risk in circus in terms of content and artistry, and the “360° Performing in the Circle” project, which explores new forms of writing and dramaturgy for circular stages. Another important component of the festival is the “Circus & Film” programme, consisting of contributions from an international open call. Accompanying the 2026 festival, there will be research labs for students in collaboration with the ZZT – Centre for Contemporary Dance and the Cologne Dance Archive.

In addition to attending CircusDanceFestival events (22nd to 24th May), discussions and excursions offer opportunities to network with the festival management, participating companies and artists, as well as other institutions from the field of contemporary circus and dance in Cologne and North Rhine-Westphalia.