Contemporary Dance Fair in Düsseldorf Begins Today, 8/29

With its winning combination of trade show and performances, the international dance fair "interrnationale tanzmesse nrw" has been a magnet for contemporary dance companies, professionals and artists from all over the world since 1994. The fair became a biennial event in Düsseldorf in 2002 and has since attracted a growing number of contemporary dance professionals, with the last event in 2010 being the largest ever:  More than 1000 trade attendees from 42 countries came to Düsseldorf to meet with 246 dance-related organizations at 102 booths on the show floor and watch performances from 60 dance companies from 23 countries on stages in Düsseldorf and beyond over 4 days.

This year's show dates are today, August 29 – September 1, 2012.  243 exhibitors from 34 countries are registered at this time with a 30 percent increase in the number of booths compared to 2010.

Most participants at the last show were international, and the event occupied three exhibit halls for the first time.  Many attendees from the US and Canada are expected, as 15 exhibitors from North America are already confirmed at this time, including US organizations American Dance Abroad (New York, NY), Association of Performing Arts Presenters (Washington, Bernard Schmidt Productions (New York, NY), Decadancetheatre (Brooklyn, NY), Dance/USA (Washington, DC), Headlong Dance Theater (Los Angeles, CA), Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre (Los Angeles, CA), Janis Brenner & Dancers (New York, NY), Kung-Yang Lin/Dancers (Philadelphia, PA), Monique Jenkinson/ Fauxnique (San Francisco, CA), Movement Workshop Group (Brooklyn, NY), and Pentacle (New York, NY); and from Canada  Prom'Art, Cas Public, and CINARS/Quebec on Stage – all from Montreal.

The exhibit takes place at the exhibit halls of "NRW Forum Kultur and Wissenschaft" (August 30-September 1), and performances are scheduled on all event days at many venues in Düsseldorf and the area, including the city's Opera House, Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, Capitol Theater, tanzhaus nrw (Dance House), and NRW Forum. 

Tickets are available for the entire event and for individual performances and for the trade show only. 

For more information, ticket prices and purchases, contact the organizer, the Society of Contemporary Dance North Rhine-Westphalia (Gesellschaft für Zeitgenössischen Tanz NRW e.V.) by visiting www.tanzmesse-nrw.com.

The International Dance Fair is one of several major cultural events happening in Düsseldorf this summer and fall, and the city's tourism office is offering hotel and city specials through 2013. Packages can be booked right from the tourism office's website at www.duesseldorf-tourismus.de/hotelpakete.  Prices start at €59 per night per person based on double-occupancy for a 2-3 star hotel in the City Center and at €69 per person for a 4-5 star hotel.  All packages include breakfast, a Düsseldorf Welcome Card (free public transportation within city limits plus 30 free or reduced admissions to city attractions), and a city information package.