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It is with great sadness that we remember our long-serving former colleague, Renate Meyers.

We have received the sad news that our former colleague, Renate Meyers, has passed away. We extend our sincere condolences to her family and friends. Renate worked at tanzhaus nrw for over 25 years and was greatly appreciated by participants, colleagues, artists and lecturers. She was affectionately known as the ‘heart of the academy’ and, through her dedicated work, shaped the programme and spirit of the academy. Her work has left a lasting mark, as Renate was always open and curious about the ideas of young people. Above all, she gave the urban community a voice and a home, and supported many dancers. She listened to their visions, which led to the creation of special battles and festivals at tanzhaus nrw that gained international recognition.

Renate, we thank you for your valuable work and passion for dance. We will miss you very much.

In recent days, the Rheinische Post has published a report on tanzhaus nrw. However, some of the information in the article does not fully reflect the actual sequence of events or leaves out important details.

It is important to us to present and contextualise the facts transparently. Therefore, we are providing the key points for context.

The Federal Ministry of the Interior – as the supervisory authority of the Federal Agency for Civic Education – has prohibited funding for a project in the field of democracy promotion by the dedicated group “Radikale Töchter.”

We appeal to the federal government and parliament to act with greater expertise and sensitivity in the area of funding and awards, so as not to jeopardise precisely what these decisions are intended to protect: nothing less than freedom of opinion and artistic expression in a democracy.

After ten years of success, the Alliance of International Production Houses will no longer receive funding in 2026, despite a record budget for culture and media. This marks the end of a successful, highly acclaimed model of federal-state-local cooperation in promoting nationally relevant venues for German and international independent performing arts. Read the statement from the directors of the alliance's houses: FFT Düsseldorf, HAU Hebbel am Ufer (Berlin), HELLERAU – European Centre for the Arts (Dresden), Kampnagel (Hamburg), Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm (Frankfurt am Main), PACT Zollverein (Essen) and tanzhaus nrw (Düsseldorf).