With the DIS-TANZ-START funding programme, the Dachverband Tanz Deutschland enables emerging dancers to join the professional dance scene in Germany after their education.

The main part of the funding was a first position (subject to social insurance contributions) of the dancers in ensembles of German public theatres as well as companies of the established independent dance scene. As a rule, the employment should last at least six months, normally a complete season. In order to be able to cover the personnel and additional costs, ensembles had the possibility to submit a funding application to DIS-TANZ-START until mid-December 2022. Due to the expiration of the NEUSTART KULTUR programmes, a further funding application is no longer possible. Further information can be found in the funding principles.

The accompanying qualification and networking programme will continue until the end of 2023, so dancers can only apply to join the DIS-TANZ-START community and participate in the events. Registration applications are continuous and possible until October 31st 2023.

The programme aims at graduates from the years 2019 onwards who are resident in Germany and can prove that they have a state-recognised degree in dance training in Germany. Exceptions are possible in individual cases and can be read here or in the FAQ.

The DIS-TANZ-START team reviews the applications for formal criteria and consults a group of experts for a professional assessment in special individual cases.

After a successful review, a written confirmation is sent, which enables the participation in the counselling and qualification programme as well as the registration on our digital community platform LOUNJEE.