Kuyum Arts KUYUM DANCE PLATFORM 2025 | 17th – 21th of September

KUYUM DANCE PLATFORM is a five-day dance festival dedicated to the visualisation and promotion of neo-African choreographies. Artists of African descent from Germany and abroad as well as artists of non-African descent who integrate neo-African dance practices into their work are invited.

What is neo-African dance? It is a form of contemporary dance that draws on techniques, aesthetic principles and choreographic elements that can be found in the movement language of dancers of African descent and are incorporated into their choreographies.

This year’s fifth edition of the festival focuses on the theme of “Afro-Somatics”. Due to its history, the somatic approach in dance work is usually associated exclusively with white bodies. However, African and neo-African dance has also always worked with somatics. If we define somatics (from “soma” Greek for body/body) in dance as an emotional and conscious process that carries an inner life to the outside and translates body memories into movement, it becomes clear that somatics is an integral element of contemporary African dance. This year, the festival wants to focus on these “Afro-somatic” voices and thus question and further develop the common understanding of somatics in contemporary dance from an Afrocentric perspective.

The aim of the KUYUM DANCE PLATFORM is to offer the invited artists a stage on which they can present neo-African dance performances – free from stereotypical attributions – to a broad audience. In addition, the six days invite networking: artistic approaches can be exchanged and collaborations established. The KUYUM DANCE PLATFORM sees itself as a catalyst for a new perception of African dance forms in the diaspora. The public is invited to performances and workshops. One of the workshops is aimed at young people with its barrier-free access; other workshops are offered by the artists participating in the festival. Under the title “Re-exploring Dance & Healing”, a conference on neo-African dance and Afro-somatics will also take place, coordinated and moderated by Nora Amin.

Everyone is cordially invited to take part in the KUYUM DANCE PLATFORM 2025 programme.